D.forwards, fast, strong, explosive, dribblers and young. too much to know what your ceiling will beHow far will they be able to go? The desire in Brazil to finally discover a ‘9’ of Ronaldo’s level, coupled with the lack of natural scorers in the big Spanish clubs, accelerates the process. EITHER the “cooking”how would Lopetegui.
Endrick and Vitor Roque are the last two (and millionaires) bets of Real Madrid and Barcelona in Brazil. They play in the same position, their careers are similar, they both come from humble families, they share the same dream and they are friends. The rush, the rivalry and the comparisons with established stars are the great dangers.
Endrick: “When offers came in, I just asked what was happening with Madrid”
A distance that marks age
In Brazil, most specialists agree in what, the maturity It is today what sets them apart the most. Vitor Roque was born on February 28, 2005. Endrick, on July 21, 2006. The new culé is one year and almost five months older than Real Madrid’s bet.” Age is what differentiates them the most now. The future Barcelona player is much more prepared to play in Europe. Even more than Vinícius Jr when he arrived at Real Madrid”, he explains paulo cobosESPN Brazil journalist.
Vitor Roque is much more prepared to play in Europe
Along the same lines, his partner from ESPN, Gian Oddi: “At those ages the Factor maturity is the most important. Vitor Roque seems to be much more prepared to play in high level as we have seen in the Brazilian championship, among players much older than him. Endrick, when he is Vitor Roque’s age, maybe he will be at the same level or even higher. He is a player who mature fast and it may be that at 18, when Real Madrid can count on him, he will be at the level of Vitor Roque or more”.
Vitor Roque celebrates a goal with Athletico Paranaenese.
Guilherme Siqueira, a former player for Atlético de Madrid, Granada and Valencia and currently representing soccer players, knows well all the phases that a Brazilian player of that age goes through to stand out in European clubs. For him, what they are today has nothing to do with what they could become in the future. “We know what it costs to grow up, everything is time. These boys, 16, 17, 18 years old, already have an impressive maturity. I can’t imagine these children after 5 years in Spain, or in some other similar country, what they are going to learn, how they are going to evolve, how they are going to grow… They are two very important players, they don’t have technologyeitherand surely the clubs will teach them a lot. The future of the two is promising. They are two guys out of the ordinary, both,” he explains.
The importance of the mind
The adaptation process, in which influences the psychological factor and also him around, is fundamental in this stage of formation in which both Endrick and Vitor Roque find themselves. “If I had to say something to the young players who are now leaving Brazil, it’s that keep your head in place That they understand the atmosphere around the club because everyone has plenty of talent. Some come out very young. Vitor is 18 years old, Endrick is going to turn 17. They are very promising, they have a bright future and an impressive technical quality, that’s why today Endrick is from Real Madrid, Roque is from Barcelona”, he explains Ramon Menezes, coach of the Brazilian under-20 team.
If I had to say something to the young players who are now leaving Brazil, it is to keep their heads in the right place.
“The player He leaves here and already wants to arrive and play the way they play here, but it’s all very different. I say this because in the past I was in the same situation. I left Brazil very young and went to Bayern Leverkusen”, he adds. The coach, who was in charge of the senior team as an interim in the last friendlies after Tite’s departure after the World Cup in Qatar, knows the Barcelona jewel well, but not so much to Endrick, although he has followed his evolution both in the ‘Verdão’ and in the under-17 team. “Knowing Roque, It is not that I will have facilitiesbut because of his way of thinking, because of what has been developing in all this time, I think he will quickly fit in at Barcelona. I hope Endrick does too,” she assures.
One of the main differences between the two is the polyvalence. Although they are area players, Roque’s tendency is to move on both sides taking advantage of another of his great qualities: driving and shooting with both legs. “Vitor Roque with us He has played even on the right. Today he plays more centralized. He has that more point, but they both attack space, they move very well in the last third of the field to define the play, they are definition players“, Menezes explains.
“Carry 15 goals in 31 gamesIt is a very good average. A forward already prepared even if he only has 18 years. He still has to evolve a lot, in this year that he has left here and later in Barcelona. It will improve your physical characteristics. It’s already strong, but I think You will gain more muscle mass. He has very good things like maintaining possession of the ball, walls… he has a lot of explosiveness, starting in the first seconds reminds me of Ronaldo. She comes out from behind the central defenders and overtakes them. The completion of him is good, but Needs improvement. Sometimes he loses goals than in Europe must not lose. Both first and in two or three touches. The pitch also reminds me of Ronaldo, I think he should improve in this aspect because it’s not tall either. He has scored goals with his head, but few”, analyzes Guilherme Moreira, from O Globo Paraná, one of the journalists who follows more closely Vitor Roque’s matches in the ‘Furacão’.
Who is more prepared?
Although the Spanish league and the Brazilian championship they have very different levelsthere is unanimity about which of the two footballers is more prepared to make the leap. “Vitor Roque is more prepared, especially inside the area. He rushes less, has more decision-making capacity and finishes better inside the area than Endrick”, considers Gian Oddi, from ESPN.
paulo cobos agrees that the future Barcelona player is closer to what is expected of a player in Spain: He knows how to make the best decisions. in decisive plays. It does not seem impossible to me that he will arrive in Barcelona in 2024 and dispute a position in the starting team.”Endrick has a long road ahead of him. to make a difference in a club as big as Real Madrid. It has all the qualities. He is strong, like Vitor Roque, and he has more ability. He can also play outside the box. His irregularity at Palmeiras is proof that not ready yet to play consistently at a high level in a big league. Today, Vitor Roque is better than Endrickbut that can change,” he adds.
Greetings from the future stars of Barça and Madrid
“the main point so that Vitor Roque can arrive and play is the adaptation. Because of how it is evolving, with the responsibility you haveplaying the Libertadores, playing with the Brazilian team, which was decisive in the South American, is going through a very good phase. It is evolving in an impressive way. Due to its characteristics, for the moment, I see it with great possibilities of adapt quickly“, affirms Ramon Menezes. For the coach, Xavi’s work will be fundamental: “Being someone who studies, intelligent, he will know very well what the right moment is, how to use Roque, whether from the beginning or not. When we talk about preparation, we mean that the adaptation is as quick as possible.”
A golden duel in the Brazilian team
For Guilherme Moreira, from O Globo, “Vitor is more prepared than Endrick”. “It will be a good fight between the two for the Brazilian team. I see Roque even more prepared to be called by the selection. endrick need to mature more. In a year it can reach the level of Roque. He has a strong shot, he is also very physically strong for his age, he controls the ball well, he is fast. They have similar things despite one being left-handed and the other right-handed. Endrick also needs to improve his head. They are similar in characteristics and promising.yes. They were lacking ‘9’ in Brazil and they are good representatives for Brazilian football”, he concludes.
Endrick needs to grow up more
Guilherme Siqueira, For his part, he considers that “Endrick is very strong, very fast, very technical and Vitor Roque is too. They are both quite strong and very vertical“. However, the process of adaptation and the acclimatization to the clubs can be clue: “They have to get there and they have to learn and grow because it is not easy to reach the Spanish LaLiga, but what they are showing here at such a young age is something impressive. The good thing about Brazil is that, that interesting young people come out every year and they go to countries that teach them a lot. We have examples like Vinícius, Rodrygo and many other Brazilians who go to Europe and make the leap. Endrick and Vitor Roque have everything to do the same as Rodrygo and Vinícius”.
