Sport

Could Endrick be Brazil’s next great attacking hope?

Twenty years ago, Brazil went into the World Cup in Germany as overwhelming favourites to defend their fifth crown. Their squad was simply too strong to ignore, with reigning World Player of the Year Ronaldinho at the peak of his powers, alongside Kaka and Robinho in other creative positions behind either Ronaldo, a waning force perhaps but still an iconic focal point, and Adriano, the man many saw as his heir.

Ultimately, that talent didn’t gel on the pitch and, after hobbling unconvincingly through to the quarter finals, they were beaten by France. Thierry Henry scored the winner, but it was Zinedine Zidane, set for retirement at the end of that tournament, who really showed up the stellar Brazilian cast list.

Brazil have never won a World Cup in Europe, which theoretically means they should be fancied strongly in the USA, Canada and Mexico this summer. But Carlo Ancelotti, the Seleçao’s current coach, has precisely the opposite problem to Carlos Alberto Perreira in 2006. Too much star power can cause difficulty, but any one of those talents from two decades ago would instantly make Brazil a huge threat now, they simply do not have a player who can carry the same weight of expectation, particularly up front.

Ronaldo could never be taken for granted because of his injury record. After almost single-handedly guiding his nation to glory at France ’98 before a shocking seizure caused him to have next to no impact in a 3-0 final defeat to the hosts, he missed two years running up to the next tournament in Japan and South Korea due to serious knee injuries. But his performance in 2002, scoring eight goals and earning redemption for four years earlier, proved why he is arguably the greatest ever modern striker.

By the time Germany rolled around, Ronaldo was 30 and his injuries were catching up with him, while there were major questions about his weight and motivation too. He still managed to become the greatest goalscorer in World Cup history (a record since surpassed by Germany’s Miroslav Klose), by scoring his 15th goal at the tournament.

Adriano was the future at that stage; he was showing a similarly potent blend of skill, power and efficiency in front of goal at Inter, where Ronaldo had shone before moving to Real Madrid. Yet serious mental health issues meant Adriano went off the boil before truly fulfilling his potential, and nobody has come close to succeeding Ronaldo in the interim.

There have been dark years, where the likes of Fred, Leandro Damiao and Luis Fabiano led the line, and a false dawn when Gabriel Jesus, who burst onto the scene at Manchester City after emerging at Palmeiras, failed to recover from a disappointing 2018 World Cup showing in Russia.

Now, there is somebody who could be Brazil’s next great attacking hope, but even his story isn’t plain sailing. Endrick, a 19-year-old precociously talented striker and another Palmeiras alumni, has shown promise since grabbing the attention a couple of years ago.

He signed for Madrid, but has struggled to establish himself, particularly alongside other forward stars like Kylian Mbappe. He also doesn’t have a similar physique to either Ronaldo or Adriano, and perhaps wouldn’t thrive playing up front on his own.

Yet, after just two La Liga appearances this season and one league goal in two seasons, he was loaned out to French side Lyon in January. While it hasn’t always been plain sailing and there have been concerns over his fitness, he has scored three goals in seven games and there are signs of the talent which caught the eye in the first place.

Endrick, like Gabriel Jesus, is a rather humble player. That doesn’t always help, especially when shouldering the responsibility and expectation of being Brazil’s number nine. It didn’t work out for the former because he couldn’t make that next step; it is far from guaranteed Endrick will either, but at least there is a player showing he is on a path to answering Brazil’s burning question.

He needs to be handled with care and perhaps this summer’s World Cup is too early to expect an era-defining performance, but if Ancelotti can help guide him, Endrick could still become the star Brazil has waited two decades for.