By Joiner Martínez
Jun 24, 2024, 11:40 PM EDT
The young striker Endrick, who will join Real Madrid next July, became this Monday the second youngest Brazilian footballer in history to play in a Copa América, surpassing Pelé, at 17 years and 339 days old and still less than Agostinho Fortes Filho ‘Fortes’.
The Palmeiras forward made his debut in the oldest national team tournament on the planet against Costa Rica, at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, on the first day of Group D of the Copa América in the United States.
The Taguatinga jewel took to the pitch in the 70th minute for Vinícius Júnior, when the Canarinha tied 0-0 against the Tico team.
However, Endrick was below Agostinho Fortes Filho ‘Fortes’, the youngest to play in a Copa América with the Brazilian team. He did it at 17 years and 251 days in the 1919 edition.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento ‘Pelé’, for many the best footballer of all time and the only one to have won three World Cups as a player, rose to second place in the classification, after playing at the age of 18 years and 138 days in 1959.
Now he is surpassed by Endrick, the biggest sensation in Brazilian football since the emergence of Neymar and who is playing his first major tournament with the senior team.
He arrived at Palmeiras when he was 10 years old. In the lower categories he scored 161 goals in 188 games. He joined the first team at the age of 16 and in two seasons he has won two Leagues (2022 and 2023) and has been fundamental in the last one.
His innate nose for goal made Real Madrid shell out a million for him. In July, when he turns 18, he will join the white team.
In the senior team he has fallen on his feet and there are many who ask that he be the starting number 9, although coach Dorival Júnior has asked for “a little patience” with the precocious scorer.
Keep reading:
“Colombia was justly deserving of the victory”: DT Néstor Lorenzo justified his team’s victory
Thousands of Argentine fans gather in Times Square before the match against Chile [Video]
“You have to adapt because it is the same for everyone”: Scaloni settled the controversy over the fields in the Copa América