Brazilian teenage sensation Endrick emulated Ronaldo and Diego Maradona and then paid tribute to Bobby Charlton on a stunning debut in European football.
The Palmeiras star, who will join Real Madrid in a £52m deal this summer, became the youngest man to score for club or country at Wembley aged 17 years, 246 days. He also became the youngest player to net for Brazil on the 30th anniversaruy of Ronaldo's Selecao debut. Yet his squat stature and explosive speed are more reminiscent of the Argentine great, who also scored his first international goal on British soil at Hampden Park in 1979 at the age of 18.
Brazil have won the World Cup five times while England’s sole triumph came at Wembley in 1966. And Endrick said: “A guy who is an idol here is also Bobby Charlton, playing in the stadium that Bobby played, scoring on the day Ronaldo debuted. These are very important memories for me.
"My family is here, my girlfriend, my agents. I am not much of a crier, I am holding myself, but this is something unique and I am very happy," he added. It was a moment he anticipated on a game of FIFA, explaining: "I played in career mode in this stadium and in the first game I also scored a goal. That came to my mind."
The Brazilian came off the bench for only his third cap and tapped home the winner and admitted his emotions prevented him scoring a second when Jordan Pickford saved his low shot in injury time. "All of this affected me a little at the end, the chance I had at the end. I will not lie," I was just thinking about scoring. I could only think about that. I couldn't think about the match any longer."
The debut win for new coach Dorival Junior ended a run of three defeats for a Brazil team still without the injured Neymar but now with a new superstar. Former Arsenal and Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva said: “At 17-years-old, Endrick has made history.
"I am happy for him and the team and especially for Dorival Junior because he came in as manager with a lot of expectation. The team was patient, with personality on the pitch. This is what we expect from Brazil.”
How big a star will Endrick become? Have your say in the comments section
England boss Gareth Southgate reflected on unpunished fouls from England's opponents after the defeat. "It's a classic game against a South American team," he said.
"In a [competitive game] there might have been more cards given. We knew to expect that and we played from the back really well. I'm not unhappy with a lot about the performance.
"It was a top-level game. We've controlled long parts and had as many attempts as them on goal. It's just that ruthless moment that decides the game. We've had players making debuts, having few caps, and there were some important performances out there.
"Anthony [Gordon] was excellent at both sides of his game. At 15 minutes to go, there were a lot of changes and at that point, the crowd were really pleased with the performance. When you lose the game, it turns negative but we've got to put context on that as there were lots of good things in the performance."
Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read ourPrivacy Notice.
