The Brazilian football prodigy – and worldwide star Endrick – exclusively told Portuguese newspaper A Bola that Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo is ‘a guy everyone should take as an example.’ In this excerpt from the interview, he also reveals his expectations at Real Madrid in 2024 and the 2026 World Cup.He always highlights the importance of his family and all their efforts in his career. What is the essence of your parents in what you are experiencing?”I always say this, and I never get tired of it: my family is everything to me. If it weren’t for the efforts of my father and mother, I wouldn’t be here today. They believed and built this foundation because even when they had nothing, they did everything for me to become a football player.”##NAJAVA_MECA_7753322##Where do you prefer to play? Alone up front, as a number 9, on one side of the field, or as you played in the latter stages of the Brasileirão, more freely, on the left, right, centre, all over the attack?”I must confess that I have no preference. Coach Abel Ferreira usually trains our positioning for different game situations, and today’s player needs that versatility, to be ready for any situation, because we know that variations within a match change very quickly depending on what happens. We are trained for that.”One of the most prominent Portuguese players is still, at 38 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo, at Al-Nassr. What is your opinion about him?”He’s my greatest idol, a player who has broken all records for being an exemplary, dedicated player. He is more than an athlete; he is a guy that everyone should take as an example because no matter the moment, he wants to be the best, wants to win titles, wants to achieve records, besides being a person who shows humility wherever he goes. He is a reference for any player aiming to go further in their career.”In 2024, you will arrive at Real Madrid, the club where Cristiano Ronaldo shone. What do you expect to find at the club, in Spain, and in Europe?”I’ve always wanted to play at Real Madrid; it has always been my priority, and now, on this trip I made to Madrid, I got a closer feel for what I will find there, the atmosphere, my future teammates, the facilities. I was very happy, but as I always say, when we return to Brazil, we switch off that switch and turn on another because I still have this first semester with Palmeiras to play, and my goal is to win all the titles I participate in.”Jude Bellingham is so unreal, did I just hear him call Endrick a Superstar ?Nothing to see here but Zidane and Pele😍 pic.twitter.com/knz0amM16r— Miss ADEL🦋🦚🌹 (@a_derll) December 16, 2023 It’s been a while since the Brazilian national team, still the only five-time world champion, hasn’t won a World Cup. With Neymar, now a more experienced player, Vini Jr, your colleague at Real Madrid, perhaps already at his peak, and other stars like Endrick, could the 2026 tournament in North America be the year?”During the time I spent with the national team, I noticed that there wasn’t a single player who didn’t have this dream. In the conversations I had with everyone, with Vini Jr, with Rodrygo, and others, everyone dreams of it and will work hard to give Brazil that World Cup. We know it’s not easy, of course, but with preparation time, everyone will do everything to achieve that goal.”In your first year as a professional, you’ve also been in the news for closing advertising contracts, two of them stand out, such as Neosaldina and New Balance, and the older ones, like Odontocompany and Rei do Pitaco. How do you analyze this growth off the field as well?”I’m always attentive to what arises in this extracurricular aspect; I usually participate, but I also have a large management team that helps me a lot in these moments, giving me the tranquillity to focus only on games and training. I know the importance it has, I know what it means for my career and my future, but everything goes hand in hand with what I do on the field and taking care of my image.”
