Endrick’s goal gives Palmeiras the Brasileirão title

Brazil has a new king. Palmeiras won their second Brasileirao in a row: with Endrick as one of the team’s main attackers, he proved his worth on the final day of the Brazilian championship.

The young striker opened the scoring midway through the first half to put one Verdão hand on the trophy and also surpassed Neymar as the 17-year-old with the most goals in a single season, with 11 goals to the Al Hilal forward’s 10. Ronaldo Nazário, who watched the match from the stands, still holds the record with 12.

In what could be Abel Ferreira’s last game in the Palmeiras dugout, Endrick scored his fifth goal in his last seven games. After his dazzling performance against Botafogo he has been scoring for fun, with the Portuguese coach’s confidence crucial in squeezing out the best version of Real Madrid’s next star.

Endrick’s Palmeiras too good for Botafogo

Before impacting the scoreboard, the Brazilian, who has played over 50 games for Palmeiras and was recently rewarded with a Brazil call-up, had two almost identical chances that did not make it past Cruzeiro’s in-form goalkeeper. However, he made no mistake with his third shot on goal. Lucas Silva, who played for Real Madrid between 2015 and 2019, failed to control the ball, leaving Endrick all alone in front of Rafael Cabral, and he did not let the goalkeeper make save number three, slotting past him.

Cruzeiro, who are majority owned by Ronaldo, improved their game in the second half, although they knew that their chances of entering the Copa Sudamericana were complicated by the results coming from other parts of Brazil. Even so, they pushed on for an equaliser despite the poor reaction from fans given their recent run of results. And their efforts were rewarded when they Nikão’s low drive from the edge of the area in the 80th minute of the match zipped past Palmeiras’ Wéverton.

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Next stop: Real Madrid

The Verdão coach took Endrick off with twenty minutes to go to avoid injury after the player gave his side a fright in the first half, something which he he managed to run off. Ferreira brought on Estevão - known as ‘Messinho’ - giving the player his debut with the first team as a reward for his great performance in the U-17 World Cup.

The equaliser was the final goal in the game but a draw was enough: Endrick and Palmeiras were crowned the Brazilian champions for the second consecutive year. The forward’s next big challenges will not come until the end of January 2024, when he starts the Paulista Tournament and plays the final of the Brazilian Super Cup against Sao Paulo. Then, after all the preparation, in the summer of 2024, Endrick will land at Real Madrid.