Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti has hailed both Real Madrid striker Endrick and Chelsea winger Estêvão as stars of the future, admitting the latter has been granted an opportunity to blossom into a superstar in the near future.
The duo, who were teammates at Brazilian side Palmeiras, have both sealed blockbuster transfers to Europe in recent years. Madrid agreed to a package worth up to €60 million (£51.9 million, $70.6 million) to bring Endrick to Spain in the summer of 2024, while Estêvão completed a switch to Chelsea this year for a near-identical fee.
Both Endrick and Estêvão are widely hailed as stars of the future and cornerstones of Brazilian football for the next decade at the very least. Ancelotti, who worked with Endrick last season at Madrid, has high hopes for the teenage pair.
“I really like Estêvão, he’s young, he has personality, character,” Ancelotti told ESPN. “He started well in the Premier League. Obviously Estêvão, not only for this World Cup, but for the future of the national team, will be a very, very important player.”
While Estêvão has immediately established himself as a key player for Chelsea, the transition to European football has not been so kind to Endrick, who arrived in Madrid in the same transfer window as a certain Kylian Mbappé.
Minutes have, predictably, been hard to come by for Endrick. The youngster started just three La Liga games and once in the Champions League, and Ancelotti confessed the level of competition has proven problematic for Endrick.
“Well, Endrick is like Estêvão,” Ancelotti began. “He’s a great talent. I think Estêvão was lucky.
“The problem with young people who go to Europe is that they have a leading role here [in Brazil], but not much of a leading role there. I coached Endrick for a year and really liked him as a person and as a professional.
“Obviously, he didn’t play as well as he could, because Real Madrid had Rodrygo, Vini... Competition in a big team is important, and that can affect a player’s progression a little.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Lucky’—Carlo Ancelotti Compares Endrick, Estevao After Breakout Moves.