"‘Even without Messi, Argentina will always be one of the favourites"

Endrick Felipe Moreira de Sousa, the new gem of Brazilian football who is waiting to come of age on 21st July to move to Spain, believes that Argentina are favourites in everything they play, even without Lionel Messi, and that his dream with Real Madrid began when he was having fun with the ‘Playstation’.

"Argentina always had several stars and none of them were champions on their own. Even without Messi, Argentina will always be one of the favourites in any competition. It will always be difficult to beat them," said the 17-year-old Palmeiras-trained striker in an interview with 'Diario Olé'.

Endrick rose to fame in the same month of December that Argentina won the World Cup Qatar 2022. At the time he won the Sao Paulo Youth Cup with seven goals in as many games.

Of Real Madrid, who he will join when he turns 18, he said it was always a dream for him, as it was his favourite team when he dreamed of being a footballer playing Playstation.

Endrick highlighted the support he has received from his compatriot Vinicius, the most emblematic player in last season's squad managed by Carlo Ancelotti.

"Vinicius received me very well, he spoke to me a lot about the city, the club and the squad... And I'm sure he will help me a lot more, especially on the pitch," he said.

Since his debut with Palmeiras two years ago, Endrick has 21 goals and four assists in the 81 games he has played. Since then he has been involved in campaigns that ended with two Brazilian Championship titles and a Brazilian Super Cup.

On the difficult moment that the Brazilian national team is going through in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, with seven points from six games played, he said he was confident that they would soon get back on track.

In his opinion, the Copa America, which starts on 20th June in the United States, should mark the beginning of the 'Selecao's recovery.

"It's a moment of transition that will be overcome, of course. In our last two World Cup titles, in the qualifiers there were also stumbles and doubts, but we overcame them and came out champions. We're back on our feet now, we've shown that in the friendlies in Europe. I'm sure that's the way it is," he said.