by When it finally came, it was not only the only significant moment of this odd half-pace international friendly, but also a beautiful moment, and one that came with a strange sense of relief.
That is the prose life. Endrick is still only 17 years old, but he seems to have spent his entire teenage life as the next thing, fresh material for an industry that commercializes talent from the moment it first raises its head.
He still has a full season to play. His most impressive performances on the first-team pitch so far have been a fine finish to the year with Palmeiras and a relentless YouTube overhead kick goal from last year. But watching him run and maneuver the ball at Wembley was a sense of recognition. Oh yes. This is what talent looks like.
Related: Brazil star Endrick just found a goal to reverse England’s Euro 2024 exit
Endrick has a great jump, thrilling speed, explosive creativity in small spaces. He is already going to Real Madrid where he will need time and space to grow and fail and find his way, like Vinícius Júnior did in the beginning. Endrick is also the youngest man to score an international goal at Wembley Stadium. But he has already spoken about pressure and backbiting and hostility on social media. This is a fast moving career, irradiated by fame, what happens, hunger, the pressure now to make that step.
But it was still a beautiful moment, nine minutes after Endrick came on, and the game goalless, when Vinícius went through the middle of England’s suddenly open defence. Jordan Pickford managed to get his shot off, but it was only for Endrick, who followed the run and stayed his distance, free to tap it into the empty net and win the game for Brazil in front his followers.
It is being said in South America that poverty is not a good thing just to make footballers. Brazil still has plenty of both. This is a country that enjoys the national obsession with hurting. Football was regulated, taken off the streets, and became more of a production line business. Players leave so early for Europe. There is a sense of disconnection.
On the emergence of Endrick, this Endrick, the next Endrick, seems to speak to something of the meaning of the country itself. There will always be more. But Endrick had to get up to this point out of extreme poverty. His mother was homeless while he was growing up. He lived in an orphanage for a while. Palmeiras came calling, he gave his father a job as a janitor, and he found himself the next big thing. Endrick already had time for one near miss.
Famously, he wanted to sign for Chelsea. The club had found him a home, his parents liked the look of the south-west London-Surrey badlands. Todd Boehly pulled the plug on the move because, in the words of Endrick’s father, who clearly has a sense of humor, Boehly was worried about “boosting the deal.”
Perhaps a better example of the flaming idiocy of letting someone with no football experience act as a fun sports director. But none come to mind.
Related: ‘I’m not down’: Southgate praises England’s new boys in Brazil
And Endrick will always have Wembley now. This was a brown paper and string team from Brazil. It was Dorival Júnior’s first game in charge, with a managerial CV that includes 23 different spells at 20 different clubs. But Brazil deserved their win here, against a weak England side, but it was one that still showed the ties, the goals conceded in the best XI.
Matters were to be settled here for Gareth Southgate. The bright spots are easy enough: Anthony Gordon was England’s best new striker. He was keen and direct and combined well with Jude Bellingham. He dribbled a lot, tracked back, looked fearless.
The omissions were also quite clear: Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka were removed from the attack, it was not at its usual level of finesse. Ollie Watkins, who played the whole game here, is a good substitute. But the step down is significant from Kane, who has 57 goals in the last 55 games, who is currently the best orthodox No 9 in Europe.
Other missions: Harry Maguire started here, as he will at the Euros. Watching him surrounded by nimble-footed Brazilian attackers in his early 20s looked at times as if someone had wheeled a solid mahogany armoire out on the field and just left it there.
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The identity of the other man next to Declan Rice has yet to be resolved. Conor Gallagher was the safe starting choice here. Kobbie Mainoo got 15 minutes and took about 90 seconds to look much smoother, more comfortable, better on the half-turn, less in the chest-puffed Three-Lions mania mode. He is just so young. He is also very good at this.
Southgate will talk about the best parts of this game. But England were lacking here, Wembley a somnolent, fidgety place, in a game that offered more in the way of unanswered questions, and the single moment of light and warmth at the other end.
