Pele, Ronaldo and the 5 Top Younsgters That Lit up Brazil as Endrick Makes History

Pele, Ronaldo and the 5 Top Younsgters That Lit up Brazil as Endrick Makes History

Isaac Darko
March 25, 2024 at 3:27 AM
In this article:
Endrick Felipe Moreira de Sousa logo
Endrick
Palmeiras logoFBrazil logo
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior logo
Neymar
Al-Hilal Saudi FC logoFBrazil logo
Alexandre Pato logo
A. Pato
Sao Paulo logoFBrazil logo
  • Endrick secured the victory for Brazil against England, making history in the process
  • He became the youngest male footballer to score senior international goal at Wembley
  • Sports Brief looks at five other Brazilians who made their mark for the South Americans

Brazil is unparalleled when it comes to footballing success and fervour, and for many the sport itself is synonymous with the Brazilian national team.

The five-times World Cup winners are renowned for their "jogo bonito" philosophy and reputation of churning out the world's most talented players, the latest being 17-year-old starlet Endrick who scored against England on Saturday.

A star is born: Endrick (L) celebrates with Vinicius Junior after scoring against England
A star is born: Endrick (L) celebrates with Vinicius Junior after scoring against England.Photo: Ben Stansall
Source: AFP

Sports Brief highlights five teenagers who have donned the famous yellow jersey:

Endrick

The latest off the national production line of extravagantly talented attackers, Endrick made history at the home of football Wembley when he scored the winner for Brazil against England on Saturday in just his third international appearance.

Aged 17 years, eight months and two days, Endrick became the youngest male goalscorer for club or country at the stadium when he opened his account for the Selecao nine minutes after coming off the bench in the 1-0 victory.

The Real Madrid-bound forward is already a two-time Brazilian Serie A champion and has been hailed as the country's new golden boy since making his debut for Palmeiras at the tender age of 16.

"If he keeps up the attitude he has shown up to now, he will be a very important name in Brazilian football and world football," said Brazil coach Dorival Junior.

Pele

The late Pele remains the eternal benchmark against whom all new Brazilian stars are inevitably compared.

The King: Pele in action for Brazil against Wales during the 1958 World Cup
The King: Pele in action for Brazil against Wales during the 1958 World Cup. Photo: Staff
Source: AFP

He became Brazil's youngest ever goalscorer at 16 years, eight months and 14 days and went on to net 77 times for his country -- the second most in Selecao yellow.

His international career was marked by World Cup glory, winning the country's first title in Sweden 1958 aged 17 before earning a second and third Jules Rimet trophy in 1962 and 1970.

Ronaldo

Super striker: Ronaldo hoists the World Cup trophy aloft in 2002
Super striker: Ronaldo hoists the World Cup trophy aloft in 2002.Photo: Gabriel Bouys
Source: AFP

Ronaldo made his debut for Brazil in 1994 and became the country's third youngest ever goalscorer when he netted against Iceland aged 17 years, seven months and 12 days.

After a heartbreaking loss in the 1998 World Cup final when he fell mysteriously ill before kick-off, the striker made amends four years later in South Korea/Japan scoring both goals in the final against Germany as Brazil claimed a record fifth world title.

A legend of the game across the globe, Ronaldo earned 99 caps and scored 62 goals across a 17-year international career.

Neymar

Greatest scorer: Neymar training with Brazil in 2010
Greatest scorer: Neymar training with Brazil in 2010.Photo: Karim Jaafar
Source: AFP

The greatest goalscorer in the history of the Selecao, with 79 goals in 128 games, Neymar is likely coming to the end of his career with the national team but, despite not yet delivering a sixth World Cup, he has lived up to the hype since making his international bow aged 18.

With the weight of the country on his shoulders as Brazil hosted the 2014 World Cup, Neymar was imperious and scored four goals in five matches.

But disaster struck in the quarter-finals when he was injured against Colombia and without their talisman, the hosts then crumbled to a 7-1 defeat to Germany in the semi-finals.

Alexandre Pato

Weight of expectation: Alexandre Pato celebrates scoring against Sweden  in 2008
Weight of expectation: Alexandre Pato celebrates scoring against Sweden in 2008.Photo: Glyn Kirk
Source: AFP

In most cases, the weight of football expectations in the seventh largest country on earth is too great for young shoulders to bear. One such example of this was the promising Alexandre Pato.

When Pato scored the winner as an 18-year-old debutant seconds after coming off the bench against Sweden in 2008 -- the country a teenage Pele led Brazil to World Cup victory against 50 years prior -- many could not resist making the comparison.

But it was not to be and the fleet-footed centre-forward would go on to win just 27 caps, his last coming in 2013 at only 24 years of age.

Endrick picks between CR7 and R9

Sports Brief also reported on Endrick picking his preference between Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldo Nazario ahead of his major move to Real Madrid.

Despite his Brazilian roots, Endrick surprised many by favouring the Portuguese star when faced with the choice between Cristiano and Ronaldo Nazario.

The two namesakes left an indelible mark on Real Madrid. Despite playing in different eras, their respective impacts in the white jersey remain unmatched.

Authors
Isaac Darko photo
Isaac Darko
Isaac Darko is a La Liga, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga editor at Sports Brief with a Degree in Journalism and Communications from Ghana Institute of Journalism (2010)