LONDON.- Endrick, future player of the Real Madridbecame the youngest man to score an international goal at Wembley Stadium on Saturday in the victory of Brazil 1-0 over England in a friendly.
Endrick, who will leave Pameiras for Madrid at the end of the season when he turns 18, shot nine minutes after coming on as a substitute.
“My family is here, my girlfriend, my agents, I’m not someone who cries, I’m holding back, but this is something unique and I’m very happy,” he said.
After seeing his performance in the second half against England, the Spanish giant is enthralled by another great talent for the future.
After coming on for Rodrygo in the 71st minute, Endrick wasted no time in making himself noticed, shooting on goal after Vinicius Júnior’s shot was repelled by English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Endrick could not hide his joy and celebrated, although he had to wait for the VAR to confirm the goal due to a possible offside.
His first goal for Brazil’s senior team, aged 17 years and 246 days, broke the record for an international match at Wembley, according to statistics firm Opta.
He could have had another one, but he couldn’t get past Pickford near the end.
“This all affected me a little bit in the end, the opportunity I had, I’m not going to lie,” Endrick warned. “I was just thinking about scoring. I could only think about that, I couldn’t think about the game anymore.”
His goal was enough to win and end England’s 21-game unbeaten streak at the national stadium.
“We know that he is a dangerous player. He managed to follow up for the goal,” acknowledged England coach Gareth Southgate. “We should have defended the goal better. “It’s a brilliant moment for him.”
Real Madrid rubs its hands:
Real Madrid reached an agreement with Endrick in December 2022 when he was 16 years old, but he already seemed destined to be another star in Brazil. The local press assured that the deal is for 60 million euros (64 million dollars).
Endrick turns 18 in July.
Last year he helped Palmeiras win the Brazilian league.
England were dealt a blow after defender Kyle Walker suffered a hamstring injury. He left after 20 minutes after receiving treatment on the field.
Both teams are preparing for their continental championships in the middle of the year.
Brazil will face Colombia, Paraguay and the winner of the playoff between Costa Rica and Honduras in Group D of the Copa América.
England was in Group C of the Euro Cup, facing Slovenia, Denmark and Serbia.
Source: AP
