Let’s be honest, European football wouldn’t be half as interesting without the precocious teenage talents developing in Brazil, the ones we read and hear about, their talent and potential as limitless as it is unknown, who then inevitably arrive on our shores to tear up our domestic leagues.
Who could forget Neymar bursting onto the scene with that golazo for Santos against Flamengo, the grainy footage of which we watched on YouTube over and over and over again? Real Madrid thought they had him but Barcelona was where he ended up in a transfer tug-of-war for the ages. But the production line obviously didn’t start or end there.
Alexandre Pato, do you remember him? He joined Milan as an 18-year-old in 2007. That AC Milan side, the one with Maldini and Seedorf and Nesta and Kaka and Pirlo and Cafu. Somehow they finished fifth in Serie A.
You can go even further back.The Ronaldo joined PSV Eindhoven when he was only 17. Sometimes it doesn’t always work out for the proverbial wonderkid. Sometimes it really, really does.
This brings us to Endrick, the latest heir to the crown, the Palmeiras superstar-in-waiting with three goals in seven appearances and a Brasileiro Serie A title to his name. At the time of writing, he is 16 years old and the hottest property in a football transfer market currently ablaze.
Palmeiras are expecting to finalise his sale before the end of the year, 90min understands, setting up a transfer to Europe in 2024 once he finally turns 18.
But where will this generational talent, a signing that could potentially define a club’s next decade, end up? This is very much the footballing equivalent of LeBron James’ ‘The Decision’.
Here are Endrick’s destinations, ranked from least to most likely.
Xavi himself revealed in November that he has presented the Barcelona project to Endrick and his father, Douglas Ramos.
Sidenote: it’s always the Dads making the decision, isn’t it? Charm the Dad enough and you’re on to a winner. Or, as in Barcelona’s case with Neymar, hand them £34m on the sly. That usually helps, too.
Despite Xavi fluttering his eyelashes, Barca simply cannot afford to compete for the player given their current rather precarious financial situation – not aided by the club’s failure to progress to the Champions League knockout rounds this season.
Given that Endrick has a release clause of €60m, a figure Palmeiras are adamant they will not deviate from, Barcelona are almost certainly out of the running.
Liverpool are rumoured to be one of the many clubs interested in signing Endrick.
The problem is, unlike other teams on this list, they haven’t flown Endrick out, given him the grand tour of the training facilities and sat him down in the VIP box at Anfield for a Champions League fixture.
Sure, they have Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino to put a good word in, maybe even Gremio’s Lucas Leiva, depending how busy he currently is. But without Jurgen Klopp to meet him in person and give him a massive bear hug, what good is it?
As it stands, only local outlets see them as contenders for his signature.
Much of the same can be said of Manchester United‘s interest in the player, except they are packing Casemiro, Antony and Fred. Honestly, who could resist playing alongside Fred?
Given that both clubs are currently up for sale and could soon become the subject of eye-wateringly expensive takeovers, it does seem like there will be priorities other than signing Endrick.
On the other hand, Endrick himself has confirmed he is learning English and Premier League clubs (as well as Paris Saint-Germain) have the added bonus of Spanish authorities charging an additional 15% on players moving from Brazilian football, meaning Palmeiras could lose around £8.6m if he moves to La Liga.
There is hope. Not much, but some.
Enter Arsenal, who have their own Palmeiras alumni in the form of Gabriel Jesus to lead the charm offensive. It’s safe to say Jesus has been impressed by what he has seen so far, too.
“I’ve been following Endrick a lot,” he told ESPN. “During the time I was training at the academy when I was coming back from injury, Ze Roberto introduced us. Then I saw him on the field…
“Wow, he’s a star. Phenomenon! He’s 16 now, right? When I was 15, I was in the academy but he’s in the seniors.”
With the other Gabriels, Martinelli and Magalhaes, along with the other Marquinhos, Arsenal boast an impressive young core of Brazilian players for Endrick to join. They also have a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table, which must count for something.
Neymar. Marquinhos. Kylian Mbappe. No 16-year-old in the world would be immune to the magnet pull of those names, never mind if they are Brazilian. Never mind if Lionel Messi extends his stay in Paris for a few more years.
He probably has all four up on his wall, a football Mount Rushmore.
PSG have a rather embarrassing history of discarding their own homegrown young talent prematurely and favouring established veterans, but the star-studded allure of life in Paris and trophies by the dozen could prove too much for Endrick to resist.
Along with PSG, Chelsea have also already wined and dined Endrick. So to speak. He is 16 after all.
Todd Boehly has hosted the youngster and his family at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground, along with introducing them to the rather formidable presence of Thiago Silva, a demigod of a figure in Brazilian football.
The Chelsea and Brazil captain was probably disappointed to learn that Endrick’s idol is, in fact, Ronaldinho. Even so, Chelsea appear to have the best chance to secure Endrick’s transfer to the Premier League, if only because they will be willing to throw as much money at the operation as it takes.
Still, you can’t imagine Endrick will be too thrilled at the prospect of turning out for Vitesse in a couple of years’ time.
(That’s a joke. Obviously a joke, he’s not Kenedy or Lucas Piazon.)
The clear favourites are, unsurprisingly, Real Madrid.
Real’s chief scout, Juni Calafat, has been in Brazil with the binoculars out and pointed squarely in Endrick’s direction for some time. He’s also grown close to the player’s parents, particularly Douglas Ramos. (Smart move, Juni.)
Beyond that, they have a history of unearthing and then developing South American talent in recent years. You only need to look at Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Federico Valverde currently thriving at the Santiago Bernabeu, Champions League titles already to their name.
Did I mention that Vini Jr and Rodygo are both Brazilian? And that Calafat secured all three deals? Or that Eder Militao is there, too?
Real Madrid are also happy to cover all the taxes from the Spanish government, as they did for Rodrygo’s transfer from Santos in 2018. Endrick has also visited Real’s training facilities.
Pressed on the subject of his son already having his mind made up, Endrick’s father has said: “There’s nothing decided for Real Madrid or any other club. We’ve no preference yet.
“We’ll decide in the next months, the club that will pay what Palmeiras want and show us the best technical project for Endrick, will sign the boy.”
90min has long reported that Endrick’s preferred landing spot is Real, who are now expected to finalise a deal in the coming weeks.