Brazilian wonderkid Endrick has naturally drawn comparisons to Vincius Jr after breaking through at Palmeiras, the 16-year-old forward often likened to the Real Madrid winger due to their rise to stardom at such an early age.
Come 2024, the pair will be linking up together at Real Madrid, with Endrick signing for Los Blancos when he turns 18. Real Madrid will pay Palmeiras more than £60 million for the forward, agreeing a deal with the Brazilian side for the 16-year-old in December 2022.
Vinicius Jr enjoyed a similar trajectory in his career in 2017, when Real Madrid paid Flamengo a then-record for him. Still 17 at the time, Vinicius only moved to Madrid a year later, once he had turned 18.
Frederico Pena is the agent of both players, but highlights one key detail between the two players which might suggest he has even higher hopes for Endrick than what Vinicius Jr has already achieved.
“The main difference between them is that Vini has always been the best in his class, year after year, whereas Endrick has always been ahead of his class, playing with much older players, due to his physical maturity," Pena explained to FourFourTwo.
"Everybody was shocked by Vini’s talent after he played in the South American Under-17 Championships with Brazil."
Endrick arguably shocked the world even more at the 2022 Sao Paulo Youth Football Club, contested by U20 sides in Brazil. Gary Lineker recognised Endrick's talent, as he scored seven goals in seven games and was voted Player of the Tournament by supporters after leading Palmeiras to their first title.
Pena admits he wants Vinicius to act as his mentor when he finally makes the move to Real, though, suggesting he still has plenty of work to do to even get near the achievements he should be capable of.
“Vini has always shown a very high degree of professionalism, always doing what’s best for his own career, so we want them to come closer together, for Endrick to see what a real career looks like.”
