Brazilian starlet Endrick Felipe has broken a club record to become the youngest goalscorer in Palmeiras’ history.
Coming on as a substitute in the 66th minute against Athletico Paranaense, the young forward scored the team’s second within 5 minutes of coming on in a 3-1 victory.
In only his 5th first-team appearance, his maiden goal helped his team open up a 10-point lead at the top of the Brazilian Série A after 34 games.
The number 16 in Palmeiras’ squad has grabbed the attention of many a European club with his unusually rapid development within the youth set-up.
Real Madrid, in particular, are known to be monitoring the 16-year-old with him not being eligible to sign for a European club until he turns 18 in the summer of 2024.
His tally of 165 goals in 169 youth team appearances means even the likes of Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain have kept tabs on Endrick Felipe.
Felipe is a versatile attacker who can play across the front line and shoot with either foot, even though he is predominantly left-footed.
His explosive pace and dribbling technique make for an exciting prospect for managers looking to coach him into the modern forward with no discernable weakness, much like Haaland.
Given the amount of room he still has to improve and the quality he already possesses at the age of 16 years and 3 months, the clamor for his signature certainly seems reasonable.
On Wednesday, as if to announce his arrival amongst the very best in the world, after scoring, he went on to mimic one of Erling Haaland’s goal celebrations as well.
With his left index finger to his ear and his right outstretched, Endrick marked the moment he eclipsed Heitor as the youngest to score for the Verdão.
Endrick broke the record by 7 months, as Heitor was 16 years and 11 months old when he first scored back in 1916.
All of his teammates on the night were older than him by 5 years or more, and yet, his stocky yet agile figure couldn’t be made out as a boy amongst men.
The very fact that Real Madrid sees him as one to look out for is clearly indicative of how good he is, given the 14-time European champions have had recent success with signing young players from Brazil – Vinicius Junior being a shining example after he was signed from Flamengo.
The route from Brazil to Europe’s elite is a well-trodden path with the likes of the original Ronaldo among those who made a similar transition.
As evidenced by his Haaland-esque celebration, Endrick Felipe certainly doesn’t lack the self-belief needed to realise his potential but it remains to be seen how his story develops further.
