Moving on from Copa America 2024, Brazil’s Wonder Kid Focuses on Real Madrid

Brazil’s wonder kid, Endrick Felipe, has admitted he is immediately focusing on Real Madrid as a way to move on from Copa America 2024.

The Brazil national team has to bury their dream of winning Copa America 2024. Their ambition came to an end after Uruguay sent them home early. Playing at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday morning (July 7, 2024) WIB, Selecao lost through a penalty shootout drama.

Even though Uruguay lost a player after Nahitan Nandez was sent off in the 74th minute during the quarter-finals, the 0-0 scoreline persisted until the end of regular and extra time. When the match went to a penalty shootout, Brazil had to acknowledge Uruguay’s superiority. Marcelo Bielsa’s squad won 4-2 against Brazil in this shootout.

With Brazil’s journey ending in Copa America 2024, their hopes of ending their title drought since 2019 are also dashed. From the match against La Celeste, wonder kid Selecao, Endrick Felipe, received a lot of attention.

Endrick Felipe was trusted to start from the beginning by Dorival Junior due to Vinicius Junior’s absence. Wearing the legendary number 9 jersey, Endrick was unable to prevent Brazil from losing.

However, his new chapter as a footballer has just begun. This summer, Endrick will officially become a Real Madrid player. Although the transfer deal of the former Palmeiras player was completed in December 2022, Endrick could only join El Real after 18 months.

On July 21, Endrick will turn 18. He admitted that Brazil’s elimination was disappointing. However, his current focus is on heading to Real Madrid.

“Now I am thinking about Real Madrid,” said Endrick, quoted by wasit.id from Mundo Deportivo. “It’s challenging to discuss the match because we were eliminated.” However, now, all that’s on my mind is Real Madrid,” he added.

Endrick will inherit the sacred number during his time at Santiago Bernabeu. He will wear the number 9 jersey when the 2024-2025 season officially begins. Endrick is also anticipated to join Carlo Ancelotti’s first team in mid-July 2024. Real Madrid has scheduled several preseason matches in the United States starting at the end of July.

Madrid’s first opponent will be AC Milan at Soldier Field Stadium, Chicago, on July 31, 2024. After that, they will face El Clasico at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, on Saturday (August 3, 2024).

Copa America 2024 – Ronaldinho is Right, Brazil’s National Team is Now the Worst Squad in History

The failure of Brazil’s national team at Copa America 2024 seems to confirm Ronaldinho’s statement that the current Selecao contingent is one of the worst in their history.

Brazil’s national team was painfully eliminated at Copa America 2024. Dorival Junior’s team was ousted by Uruguay in the quarter-final match at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, on Sunday morning (July 7, 2024) WIB. After underperforming against 10-man Uruguay, Selecao was sent home through a penalty shootout.

Two out of Brazil’s four penalty takers failed to score, namely Eder Militao and Douglas Luiz. Meanwhile, for Uruguay, only Jose Gimenez failed to score from their five takers. Inevitably, Marquinhos and his teammates were heavily criticized by their own supporters, football analysts, and of course, the media.

The current Brazil team no longer reflects their identity as the powerhouse with the most World Cup titles. They struggle to compete even in the regional South American scene, let alone on the global stage. The Samba Era, known for its captivating play style, is gone.

The condition of their main star, Neymar Jr., who frequently suffers from injuries, is believed to be one of the reasons for Brazil’s decline in recent years. Vinicius Junior, who was relied upon to lead Selecao at Copa America 2024, was absent due to suspension when the team faced Uruguay.

His replacement in the forward line, Endrick Felipe (17 years old), is still too young to bear the great expectations of Brazilian fans looking for a new legendary player.

Meanwhile, the rest of their squad consists of players deemed mediocre for a team like Brazil. Many of the current Selecao members only play for mediocre clubs in Europe.

Their midfield, which should be a source of creativity, is filled with players like Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle), Lucas Paqueta (West Ham), Joao Gomes (Wolves), Andreas Pereira (Fulham), or Douglas Luiz, who has recently moved from Aston Villa to Juventus.

In their forward line, Brazil does have a trio from Real Madrid and one player from Barcelona, but the presence of a winger from Troyes, a club in the French Ligue 2, proves the scarcity of top talents in the current Samba Team.

Ironically, two decades ago, Brazil struggled to choose players not due to scarcity, but because of the abundance of quality players.

As a result, not only did they fail to reach the Copa semifinals, but Canarinhas are also considered to have forgotten how to play beautifully, effectively, and convincingly win matches. “Brazil’s performance now does not show the kind of football that the national team should play, even when they beat Paraguay 4-1 (in the group stage),” said senior Samba Nation analyst, Galvao Bueno. “This Copa America marks one of the most challenging periods in the history of Brazil’s national team.”

“The year 2023 is an embarrassing period. Brazil is currently ranked 6th in the World Cup Qualifiers. Sixth out of 10 countries.
They suffered defeats against Colombia, Uruguay, and Argentina on their home turf. Brazil had never lost a home qualifier match before. This Brazil team is very bad. It’s an embarrassment to the national team’s history.”

“It’s better to return home than to reach the final and risk being dismantled by Argentina,” he told ESPN Brasil.

Danilo, who captained Brazil at Copa America 2024, has to regularly face conflicts with their own fans. This crisis in Brazil seems to make the public realize the controversial statement from their legendary playmaker, Ronaldinho, some time ago.