They were born within a year of each other – just before the explosion of the ‘Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi’ era in La Liga – and now teen sensations Endrick and Lamine Yamal are poised to spark a new rivalry for good to take.
Endrick turns 18 in July and has just scored his first two goals for Brazil, one at the Santiago Bernabeu and the other at Wembley. Lamal turns 17 a week before Endrick’s birthday. He has only played fourteen games for Barcelona and three for Spain, but has become the most important player for club and country in record time.
Endrick was born just before the 2006-2007 season, Lamal shortly after. Real Madrid won the competition. Messi, 19, was already at Barcelona, scoring 14 goals in all competitions, but was still two seasons away from his first Ballon d’Or. Ronaldo was still at Manchester United and would not arrive at Real Madrid until 2008.
Their historic rivalry will never be surpassed, but seeing Spaniard Yamal and Brazilian Endrick go head-to-head at the Bernabeu was a throwback to Argentina’s Messi facing Portugal’s Ronaldo in the colors of their clubs. And it was a taste of what was to come.
Endrick signed for Real Madrid from Palmeiras in December 2022, when he was still 16 years old. The initial cost of 35 million euros will rise to 60 million if he is successful in Spain and no one doubts that.
Teen sensation Endrick scored two goals for Brazil during the international break
Fellow star Lamine Yamal has broken into Spain’s senior formation at the age of 16
Both youngsters were born before the explosion of the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo era
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Real Madrid’s super scout in South America, Juni Calafat, has been in constant contact with the player since that signing. And during dinner at the player’s home, it was often explained to him what exactly a contract with Real Madrid entails. He’s ready.
He doesn’t lack confidence. He announced this week during the Brazilian dinner on the eve of the match that he thought he would score his first goal in the friendly match at the Bernabeu the following evening and so it turned out.
He is already able to physically match and even intimidate rival centre-backs. There is aggression there that saw him kick Marc Cucurella off the ball and that will need to be tamed, but Madrid will not want to soften the hard edges too much.
He will have to maintain a certain mean streak not only to beat his opponents but also the competition at home. The Real Madrid forward will have three places up for grabs next season and will compete against his international teammate Rodrygo for the final spot alongside Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe.
Endrick played in Vinicius with his first touch from the bench at the Bernabeu. Don’t count on him skipping Rodrygo as the third man in Real Madrid’s new three-pronged attack.
Endrick scored the late winner against England at Wembley and will soon make the switch to Real Madrid
Yamal is already the here and now of Barcelona, but also represents the future of LaLiga
For Yamine there are no such problems regarding competition for places. He is the future of Barcelona, but he already represents the here and now.
We are only five months away from his speech by Robert Lewandowski – how quickly that phase has passed. Now it is no less likely that we will see Yamine staring at Lewandowski for not giving him the ball.
‘This boy is incredible. Every time he touches the ball he hurts the opponent,” Spanish defender Robin Le Normand said after the 3-3 draw against Brazil on Tuesday.
He has emerged as Spain’s big hope in Germany this summer and was asked midweek how he is mentally coping with skipping the Under-19 and Under-21 stages of his international career. “I try not to think about it too much because then you start to worry about things,” he said.
At the moment he leaves the worry to others. They need him so much in Barcelona that they don’t want a Pedri-style burnout, with most pointing out that he has played over 70 games in his first season and has been picked for both the European Championship and the Olympics.
Yamal has become Spain’s big hope in Germany after bypassing the U-19 and U-21 teams
There’s a fresh naivete about Endrick (above) and Yamal, but both starlets are fearless
You could hear the rush of air as Yamal was clattered in the opening minute against Brazil, but he walked away with no further problems and there don’t seem to be any doubts about his mental strength either. “I know the whole stadium is waiting to see what I can do,” he has said of life at Barcelona.
There are reminders of how young he is. His cousin still takes him to training because he is too young to take his driving test.
And he takes lessons every afternoon at La Masia because the club wants him to set an example for young talents who are completing their education. But once he’s on the field, he shows a maturity beyond his years.
There is a fresh naivety in both Yamal and Endrick; the latter has said he wants to win no fewer than ten Ligas and five Champions Leagues in Madrid. When asked which goal he would like to score recently, the former replied: “The winner against PSG in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.”
The pair are fearless and they are ready to take on a rivalry that will help determine the fate of the two biggest clubs in Spain. For so long, Madrid and Barcelona meant Ronaldo and Messi. Next season it will be Endrick against Yamine.