SP
BravenNow
Why 'The New Pele' Is Still Fighting For a Spot on Brazil's 2026 World Cup Squad
| USA | sports | ✓ Verified - foxsports.com

Why 'The New Pele' Is Still Fighting For a Spot on Brazil's 2026 World Cup Squad

#Endrick #Brazil World Cup 2026 #Real Madrid #Lyon #Carlo Ancelotti #Xabi Alonso #Paulo Fonseca #Young Brazilian talent

📌 Key Takeaways

  • Endrick has revived his World Cup hopes with impressive performances at Lyon after struggling for playing time at Real Madrid
  • The 19-year-old Brazilian has registered six goal involvements in his first seven appearances for Lyon
  • Despite his good form, Endrick faces challenges due to Brazil's exceptional attacking depth and remaining immaturity issues
  • National team coach Carlo Ancelotti, who previously worked with Endrick at Real Madrid, is monitoring his progress closely

📖 Full Retelling

Brazilian forward Endrick, who joined Real Madrid in 2022 but struggled for playing time before being loaned to Lyon in January 2026, has reignited his World Cup hopes with impressive performances in France, putting himself back in contention for Brazil's 2026 World Cup squad under national team coach Carlo Ancelotti, who previously worked with the young talent at Real Madrid. The 19-year-old's journey has been a rollercoaster since his high-profile move from Palmeiras, with initial struggles at the Bernabeu followed by a remarkable resurgence at Lyon that has reminded the football world of the talent that once made him one of the most sought-after prospects on the planet. At the start of 2026, Endrick's prospects seemed bleak as he managed only 99 minutes of first-team action in the first half of the season at Real Madrid, with then-manager Xabi Alonso preferring homegrown forward Gonzalo Garcia. The situation became untenable, leading to a loan exit that has proven to be the catalyst for his career revival. Since joining Lyon, Endrick has quickly rediscovered the electrifying form that made him famous, registering six goal involvements in his first seven appearances, including a hat-trick against Metz that made him the youngest player to score three goals in a single game for Lyon in 54 years. Despite his impressive resurgence, Endrick still faces significant challenges in securing his place on Brazil's World Cup squad. The Selecao boasts arguably the most attacking depth of any national team, with established stars like Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo, and others ahead of him in the pecking order. Additionally, while his goal-scoring instincts have returned, signs of immaturity remain, as evidenced by his recent red card at Nantes, which his current coach Paulo Fonseca described as a learning experience. Ancelotti, who witnessed Endrick's talent firsthand at Madrid and even advised him to leave to boost his World Cup chances, will have to weigh these factors against the teenager's undeniable potential when finalizing his squad for the North American tournament.

🏷️ Themes

Career Development, International Selection, Young Talent

📚 Related People & Topics

Lyon

Lyon

City in France

Lyon (Franco-Provençal: Liyon; sometimes Lyons in English) is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, 391 km (243 mi) southeast of Paris, 278 km (173 mi) north of Marseille, and 113 km (70 mi) southwest of Geneva, Switzerl...

View Profile → Wikipedia ↗

Endrick

Topics referred to by the same term

Endrick may refer to:

View Profile → Wikipedia ↗

Real Madrid CF

Association football club in Spain

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (Spanish pronunciation: [reˈal maˈðɾið ˈkluβ ðe ˈfuðβol] ), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional association football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, th...

View Profile → Wikipedia ↗
Xabi Alonso

Xabi Alonso

Spanish football manager and player (born 1981)

Xabier Alonso Olano (Basque: [ˈʃaβi aˈlons̺o oˈlano], Spanish: [ˈʃaβj aˈlonso oˈlano]; born 25 November 1981) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of La Liga club Real Madrid. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of his gener...

View Profile → Wikipedia ↗
Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti

Italian football manager (born 1959)

Carlo Ancelotti (Italian pronunciation: [ˈkarlo antʃeˈlɔtti]; born 10 June 1959) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of the Brazil national team. Nicknamed "Carletto" in Italy and "Don Carlo" in Spain, he is regarded as one of the greatest football ma...

View Profile → Wikipedia ↗

Entity Intersection Graph

Connections for Lyon:

🌐 Killing of Quentin Deranque 2 shared
🌐 France 2 shared
🌐 Endrick 1 shared
🏢 Real Madrid CF 1 shared
👤 Presidency of Emmanuel Macron 1 shared
View full profile
Original Source
- No Data Available - BROWSE BY SPORTS & TEAMS PLAYERS SHOWS PERSONALITIES TOPICS Built on FIFA Men's World Cup FIFA Men's World Cup Why 'The New Pele' Is Still Fighting For a Spot on Brazil's 2026 World Cup Squad Published Feb. 28, 2026 6:46 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link At the very start of the year, it looked like Endrick's dream of making Brazil's World Cup squad was dead in the water. The Real Madrid youngster only played 99 minutes for the club in the first half of the season, with then-Blancos boss Xabi Alonso favouring homegrown forward Gonzalo Garcia ahead of him, and a move away became inevitable in the winter transfer window. Fortunately, Endrick found the perfect club. Since officially completing a loan move to Lyon on January 1, the 19-year-old has rediscovered the electrifying form that made him one of the hottest prospects on the planet at Palmeiras, registering six goal involvements in his first seven appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit. All of a sudden, Endrick looks every inch the €60 million $71m player Madrid thought they were buying when they initially won the race for his signature back in December 2022. It's been a remarkable turnaround that has naturally sparked talk of an imminent return to the Brazil fold, with the March international break just around the corner. Selecao boss Carlo Ancelotti witnessed Endrick's talent up close in his final year at Madrid, and even personally advised the teenager to leave the Bernabeu to boost his World Cup chances. Endrick will definitely be back in Ancelotti's thinking now, which is an achievement in itself. However, the cruel reality is that he is still facing an uphill battle to book a seat on the plane for the 2026 tournament in North America. As good as he's been for Lyon so far, some signs of immaturity remain, and with Brazil boasting more attacking depth than any other nation, he is going to have to be near-flawless from here on in to stand out from his peers. Challenging start Although Endri...
Read full article at source

Source

foxsports.com

More from USA

News from Other Countries

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇺🇦 Ukraine