Brazilian football fans have compared Andrej, the young striker who led Palmeiras to the league title, to Neymar and the legendary Pele. However, the 17-year-old, who is considered to be the new jewel of Brazilian football, prefers to keep his feet on the ground and keep calm. Andric will move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 as part of a deal worth around €60m without bonuses.
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“I know nobody can come close to Pele’s reign. He is the king of football,” replied the Palmeiras striker. Brazilian Young Indrik has been compared to the likes of five-time world champions Neymar after leading his side to the league title for the second season in a row before moving to Spanish side Real Madrid in the summer of 2024. The deal is worth around 60 million euros.
“I want to be Indrik. I want to show them who Indrik is,” the 17-year-old continued in an interview with Agence France-Presse during a ceremony in São Paulo to present a new financier.
Skilled on the ball, fast, technical and creative… Endric has been earning accolades since his professional debut at the age of 16. In November, at the age of 17 years and three months, he became the youngest player to be called up to the national team since star Ronaldo in 1994, and his name was written in “Celeso” history. The five-time World Cup winner “Seleção” is hungry for victory. The sixth title in its history and the first since the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
The savior of Chelyabinsk
Regarded as a new footballing talent, many believe Intrec can play a savior role for an Uriverde side that has suffered a string of poor results in recent times, having finished sixth in the combined qualifying group for 2026. The World Cup was lost to its historic rival at home after a three-match losing streak. Argentina 0-1 last month.
Interim coach Fernando Diniz wants young Andrej to wear the number 9 shirt he wore with Palmeiras, alongside big stars like Ronaldo and Tostavo, and Brazilian fans want him to wear it.
Commenting on fans’ wishes, the 17-year-old said, “A lot of players want to be number 9 in the national team. I’m not worried about that. I want to be present (in the team). And play.”
Go to Real Madrid
On the other hand, some doubts have been raised about Indrik’s future, “but will he live up to the faith that Real Madrid put in him when he joined?” Entrick managed to play under pressure. After grabbing the spotlight in his early days with Palmeiras in 2022, when he scored three goals to help his side win the league title, he played his first full season the following year.
In contrast to his start, Endric went through a difficult period at the start of the new season. He scored just four goals in his first 19 matches. He broke down in tears on the field out of frustration, and he admitted, “The start of the season was a little shaky.
He continued, “But I flipped a little switch in my mind and realized I’m happy. I helped my team win the title and I think I’ll help them more next year,” before heading to the Spanish capital, Madrid.
It sums up the “little switch” he had to flip by stopping reading what people wrote about him on social media and instead surrounding himself with his family and partner.
In addition to training sessions and learning English and Spanish, he also increased his physical preparation with the aim of passing as well as possible.
These efforts paid off in the second half of the season as Palmeiras watched former leaders Potafogo retain their title in a thrilling final race.
In that period, Endric has scored six goals in the last ten matches, including two goals in a 4-3 win over Potafogo and the first goal for Palmeiras in last Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at Cruzeiro, which allowed them to retain the title.
The Taguachinga native summed up his success in very humble words: “They said I was the hero, but I didn’t think so. The whole team was. I’m very happy to help the club I love.”
The young left-handed striker is trying not to think too much about coming to Real Madrid with his parents and brother, as he puts it, “not to worry”. , and he was fully informed of what could await him by a section of the Spanish fans… At times his compatriot and future teammate Vinicius Jr. was subjected to racist insults.
Endrik confirmed that he had already faced racism in Brazil. “I didn’t let it bother me and I kept my game,” he concluded, “I want to do what makes me happy: play football.”
France 24/AFP
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