A journey that touches childhood: Explore the Golden Boy’s difficult path from a hungry street soccer player to a rising star at Real Madrid that can steal the heart of every soccer fan.

In December 2023, Endrick was welcomed by Real Madrid President Florentino Perez in the team’s typical room at Bernabeu Stadium. Image: www.realmadrid.com

Hello Noah

Little one, you are loved. That is the first and most crucial thing.

Ever since your birth by my mother, I’ve believed that we truly belong together. I never told you that you were about to be born when you were waiting for me to score.

It’s accurate! At that point, you hadn’t yet been born, and I was only 13 years old. I was participating in a major football match. As time passed and I hadn’t come out yet, Mom and Dad were growing increasingly concerned about what I was getting up to. Suddenly, a friend who was watching dad play gave him a call. “Enrick just scored, Douglas!” exclaimed the uncle.

I cried so much that the hospital staff could hear me.

It’s finally me coming out to celebrate the goal with you. I came to the hospital with a gift for you. The winner of a game is awarded the Golden Ball. Even though I didn’t have enough money to purchase you toys, I gave it to you.

See? Our family was not wealthy when we were young. We were meant to be football players.

Now that you are four years old, a lot has changed in our life. When you will read this letter is unknown to me. In a few months, he will travel to Spain to play for Real Madrid. Yes, when you watch me play on the PS4, that’s the group I always choose. I want my chaotic family life to be known to everyone. With my parents here to support me, this is my time to tell you all that happened.

The ball represents both the start and the finish of everything in our family. Mom says you never enjoyed toys as much as I did when I was a child. He puts a toy back in its box after barely five seconds of play. All he wanted to do was play ball.

Whether it’s a sock, a basketball, or a roll of tape doesn’t matter. You will want to kick any surface, even the square one. He treated the 2014 World Cup Brazuca ball, which his father’s team gifted him, like a piece of art. He even tucks the ball about himself while he sleeps! I adore football, that much is clear, child.

Endrick with his younger brother, Noah. The Player’s Tribune image

To learn how to introduce oneself, ask your mother.

“What is your name?”

“Endrick Felipe Moreira de Sousa, moving forward.”

People will chuckle at how adorable they find the boy. That’s my meaning! His mother continued to cry whenever she considered his belief that he could succeed. My mother used to say that words have power.

In the past, my house wasn’t as elegant as it is now. I also can’t have all of your favorite yogurt in my fridge at the moment. There is a significant distinction between my family’s home and mine. In the ensuing years, a lot of people will discuss how difficult life was for our family at that time. However, the fact remains that, thank God, he had a wonderful upbringing, which was largely due to his parents’ hard work. Thanks to sports as well.

When I was your age, our street was located on a hill. I don’t believe I’ve ever shared this with you. He played soccer a lot with his mates from the neighborhood. The fact that the person who missed the shot had to run down and retrieve the ball from the shantytowns below was one of the reasons we were so skilled at the game. If they pass someone and miss a shot, that person will need to run even faster to catch the ball before it reaches the bottom of the slope.

It may seem absurd, but you have to abide by the laws of the road. Now that the shot is gone, grab the ball and run.

When I was a kid and football was simply a game, I truly miss those times. Kids used to hang around and chat back then; this is known as “resenha.” There are moments when I sincerely hope we could both be present.

It made him both happy and sad all at once. Those beautiful memories are gone forever. However, there are also happy recollections.

As you become older, you’ll discover what “armchair talk” is all about. In Brazil, it was discussed, but the majority of the remarks made were inaccurate. They claim we are hungry and impoverished, but that is untrue. They have no idea who their mother is. She would always say, “I am too much of a woman to let my children go without food.”

That day, he truly saw his father cry. He believed it to be the first time in his 10-year-old existence that he truly comprehended how difficult things were in his family.

At the dinner table, we never get what we want, but we always have all we need. Are you aware of the distinction?

Never do we spend more than is necessary. He was the one who advised Dad not to worry as he sat down on the chair. After that, I’ll play football and help our family get out of this difficult situation.

Before then, football was simply a game to him and he was just a kid. Football was the path to a better life after that.

A few weeks later, he moved to Sao Paulo to enroll in the Palmeiras school. Here, he established his first objective: to improve his family’s situation. He has objectives in mind for his life. God hears you in this way. He was aware that once he arrived in Palmeiras, he would need to eat two or three times a day at the school and on the practice field. But mom finds it difficult to deal with it.

In order to pursue his ambition of moving to Sao Paulo, his mother departed the life she knew in her hometown. Despite being the only member of the squad, his mother assured him he couldn’t succeed without her. His mom moved in with him and a few of his pals in a modest house, while his dad continued to work and send him money. Everything in one location. However, mom was alone at practice and had no one to chat to. Mom got the Bible and had a solitary conversation with God because we don’t have TV or internet at our house. Really, mom has one item: a chair. When everyone went to bed, Mom lay down on a floor cushion with her bag on top of it.

Although it may seem unbelievable to you, your mother did actually sleep on the floor.

Moms have to count their pennies occasionally. It used to take up to two days for money to reach me when I sent it, and it wasn’t as speedy as it is now. On good days, Mom would cook sausages for everyone when she got paid early. However, most of the time we don’t have enough food, and I feel horrible preparing meals at home because my coworkers always ask what’s so delicious and if there’s any left over for them. How should I respond? Nothing remains.

Endrick with his parents and younger brother Noah, Agent Frederico Pena (left), during the course of a business negotiation. image by Frederico Pena

Mom’s pain was so bad that she gave up cooking completely. He used to inquire about any leftover food when he was getting a bit hungry before going to bed. “Go to sleep, baby,” his mother would say to him. “You will feel fuller after getting some sleep.”

Mum can still take a little cash or rice when our family really needs it. But one day, she found herself without any money and no one to ask for assistance. When she called her father, she said, “Douglas, I’m so hungry.” “I’m at a loss for what to do.”

Dad sent 50 reais immediately, but it would take the next day to arrive. Mother knelt down and prayed to God for support. Then she dragged the bag down and began to unzip it. Two reais were discovered by her. These little coins are a gift from God.

The shopkeeper sold her a two-day-old loaf of bread. If I asked my mother now, she would claim that it was delicious. Even stale bread tastes better when you’re starving.

It is not nice to be both hungry and thirsty. If only I didn’t have to break the news to you. My wish is that you never have to experience what my mother did. Considering that our tale must be conveyed. The next time you see your mom, say “thank you” and give her a hug. Without what she accomplished, our lives would not be the same.

Because his mother always covered her suffering in order to preserve his ideal, he actually didn’t know a lot of things until recently. His mother was usually hiding in the bathroom, so he never saw her cry. Dad wanted to go home and could no longer continue on, so Mom contacted him multiple times to let him know this. He was eager to discuss what had happened when he and his friends returned from the field after practice. objective. Mom decided to stay as there was happiness in his eyes. Thank you. since we.

That’s the mother of my brothers; she never fails to complete tasks. At times, she reminds us of a sergeant because of her constant anger and her willingness to tell us what we need to hear even when we don’t want to. On sometimes, she will make the most delicious breakfast and give us hugs. Remember that you only take actions because you want the best for us.

Dad also made many sacrifices. He left to assist his mother and brother in Sao Paulo when the allotted few months were up. In addition, he visited Palmeiras to check if the team could use his services. He was instructed to clean the stadium by his employers. He happily accepted since, as a child, he had always wanted to be in the football locker room. He progressed from picking up trash in the yard to cleaning the first team locker room in his three years there. He would not stop telling them that one day his son will be with them.

Goalie Jailson noticed his father was becoming slimmer at one point. He noticed that his father was simply sitting there eating soup in the cafeteria where the school employees ate with the athletes. “Hey Douglas, could you lend me your phone?” he requested, putting his arm around his father’s shoulder right away. I will contact your spouse.

“Your wife?” asked Dad, startled. From my wife, what do you want?

Jailson thought, “No, no.” She must be aware of your situation. You abstain from eating. “How are you doing?”

Since Dad was too shy to speak, Jailson contacted his mother to get the real story. When he was a child, cooking steak caused that father to severely burn his hand. He nearly lost his hand entirely. My dad was given a number of strong medications to treat the swelling, which caused his teeth to become quite weak. He could only eat soup and had lost all of his teeth when he started working for Palmeiras.

To his father’s amazement, he rapidly persuaded the team to assist him in obtaining funding for dental work. God has shown us many wonderful blessings, my brother.

Dad used to crave an apple, but only with God’s assistance. He can now bite into anything he want.

That was the moment when his second dream came true. Next to Palmeiras Stadium, my family moved into an apartment above a bookmaker. He can watch his dream come true every day when he wakes up and every night before going to bed by looking out the window. It’s stunning.

I still haven’t heard the tale of your father.

My brother and dad are pals, and my mom is a strong woman. Like that has always been the case. But from what I’ve heard, my dad’s story is lengthier. You don’t know that I haven’t had difficult moments. He was born in heaven, unlike his father. Dad’s childhood memories do not always include Grandpa in the household. Dad also uses football as an escape from that. At the age of 15, my dad walked from Brasília to São Paulo, leaving his family behind. Half the time, Dad walks on the road! Go! My sweetheart, the travel has been somewhat lengthy. Not even his mom was informed by his father! Dad traveled every mile carrying a few loaves of bread, two 2-liter bottles (one holding soda and the other holding water), and a pair of soccer shoes. Dad would like to try out for all the clubs in the city. Dad had to take the bus and walk, and it took him a week.

Without any money and not knowing where to go, Dad just wandered around São Paulo knocking on doors and inquiring when the clubs were hiring. When a member of the São Paulo FC team noticed that dad wasn’t feeling well, they gave him some food from their pub. On one of the coldest nights, a woman from a charity gave Dad a place to stay after discovering him sleeping under a tree in the park. It was over three nights since Dad had slept in a bed, and the room felt toasty. He slept in too late and missed the Nacional AC show the following day.

Imagine how worn out Dad must have been. Can you imagine pursuing your dream by walking for a week, just to miss the opportunity when it presents itself?

He couldn’t decide if to laugh or cry when his father related the tale. Dad had nowhere to go the next night as it started to rain. He strolled to the Palmeiras stadium, where he passed the night beneath the ticket counter’s roof. Dad tried everything he could, even if his ideal was not realized.

Because to his father Douglas and his unfulfilled football career, Endrick saw football as a dream.

His father was a baseball player and worked when he returned to Brasília. Are you aware of the shadow? There’s only a strong want to do it, no compensation or reward. While dad plays to acquire a small bag of food or pay the power bill, other folks play to get a little “help” when they need it. He used to play with a ball on the perimeter of the pitch at every game he attended as a child with his father. He frequently emerges in the middle of things to bust out some dances while everyone is dancing, drinking, and placing bets. Do you believe that’s the reason he still mumbles lyrics throughout his performances?

His father would question him, “Endrick, how did you get a bottle of Coca-Cola?” following a game. “You took it from no one, am I correct?”

“No, no,” he protested. “Dudu over there won 10 reales, and I kicked the crossbar.” He bought me a drink of Coke because I helped him win the bet. If I strike it again, he’ll buy you a skewer of meat!”

That’s his source of income! After spending a lot of time playing in the mud, his mother would always tell him that he was dirty when he arrived home. You are aware of the conditions of Brazilian streets, correct? His mother had to wash him like a dog. But he raced outside to play football again as soon as he was clean. Do you still recall my words? My family is football fans from birth.

My dream, your dream, our dad’s dream, our grandpa’s dream, and our family’s dream are all the same.

Did your father fantasize that he would sleep under the ticket booth roof and watch his son play football at the Palmeiras stadium one day?

At that point, he turned 15 and joined Palmeiras as a professional football player. Thank heaven, he was living the life he had always dreamed of. I bought Mom a house and took our two grandmothers out of the dangerous neighborhood of Chaparral. He knew he had accomplished his first objective—improving his family’s situation—when he spoke with his father on the couch.

What a wonderful day!

But feeling well was also such a pleasure.

When you were a newborn, everything was quite different for us, and it will continue to be different for a very long time.

In a few months, you will relocate to Spain with me. Real Madrid… He never recorded his third objective, which was that. When he was 7 or 8 years old, he didn’t have a phone or anything, so he would frequently watch Real Madrid collection videos on his mother’s computer. I realize you’re too young to recall these players, but in 2013–2014, when Cristiano, Modrić, and Benzema played for Real Madrid, I was a huge fan. That was the gateway that opened to the club’s history for him. I started watching videos on the Galácticos on YouTube and traveled back in time to learn more about Di Stéfano, Puskás, and other individuals. I promise you will hear more about these names in Madrid soon.

You can learn anything on YouTube, just like you would in a college. More Cristiano Ronaldo videos are viewed by him than by anybody else. Not just the collection films, but also the comments made by others regarding his perseverance and diligence. From CR7, he discovered that diligence is more crucial than talent.

One day, he aspires to meet him. Even as I type these lines, I haven’t met him yet. By the time you read this, though, I expect to have shook his hand because I have an Instagram following for his son. I hope everything at Real Madrid and at work goes smoothly for you. Cristiano is going to follow you too. Perhaps the two of us! Whoa, what a surprise.

Learn about Cristiano Ronaldo. That is the fourth objective.

The sixth objective is to win the Paulista event, the primary championship in the state of São Paulo, and conclude the season with Palmeiras.