Endrique, a 17-year-old striker who will join Real Madrid next year, has become the second-youngest player ever to be named to the Brazilian national team.
Fernando Diniz, head coach of the Brazilian men’s national soccer team, included Endrique in the squad that will compete in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America this month. Endrique became the second youngest player to be named to the Brazilian national team after Ronaldo in 1994. Ronaldo is a world-class striker who has led Brazil to two World Cup titles.
“Endrique is a great talent,” Diniz said, “and a call-up to the national team is not a pressure, but a reward and a vision for the future.” Endrique will join Real Madrid next July, when he turns 18, for a transfer fee of €70 million.
Endrique is not a big player at 173 centimeters, but he is considered to have a lot of potential. In 47 appearances in the Brazilian league, he scored 11 goals and provided one assist. His main position is center forward, but he can also play on either flank. Ronaldo spoke highly of him just before last year’s World Cup in Qatar, saying, “If I had the opportunity to take a young player like Endrique, I would have taken him.”
Endrique made his debut for Palmeiras and became the youngest player to score a goal. He is “the only player in the club’s history to win trophies at every age group,” according to CNN, and was named to the national team after scoring three goals in his last two appearances.
Endrique is one of four first-time call-ups to the Brazilian men’s national team, along with João Pedro (Brighton & Hove Albion), Paulinho (Atlético Mineiro), and Pepe (Porto). 토토사이트
Brazil will host Colombia on Sept. 16 and Argentina on Sept. 21 in the fifth and sixth rounds of World Cup qualifying. Brazil currently sits in third place in South American qualifying. The top six teams out of 10 will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Injuries have sidelined several regular Brazilians, including captain and all-time leading scorer Neymar (Alhilal), Ederson Militant (Real Madrid) and midfielder Casemiro (Manchester United), who tore his anterior cruciate ligament in October.