Hottest prospect in Brazilian football says he would fit in the Barça style

Palmeiras sensation Endrick has quickly become one of the most sought-after youngsters in football. Aged just 15, the forward has been tearing up records in youth football and was the star of the recently-concluded Copinha tournament, where he was named the MVP and scored the goal of the competition.

Several top clubs from across Europe have already cast admiring glances towards Endrick. Barcelona are said to be scouting the young forward extensively while their arch-rivals, Real Madrid are also making a play to sign him up.

Amid rising interest in his services, Endrick sat down for an interview with Spanish publication SPORT, during which he revealed his admiration for Barcelona. “All the boys in Brazil want to play for Barça,” he said.

The 15-year-old sensation added that he was aware that the Catalan giants are scouting him, but insisted his focus was on furthering his career at Palmeiras.

“I know that Barça was scouting me, but now I am focused on Palmeiras, forgetting all the factors outside the field. I played my game, we were champions and I managed to play well, I hope I impressed them.”

Endrick then opened up on how Brazilian legends and Barcelona icons like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Neymar Jr., inspired the current crop of youngsters to want to play at that level for a club like Barça.

“Barça is a club where many players passed through who inspire us younger ones like Neymar Jr., Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Romario… and Ronaldinho. All the boys who want to play abroad think of Barça because of Neymar Jr, who is from our generation,” the teenager said.

Endrick then added that he used to watch Barcelona with the famed attacking trio of MSN – Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, with Xavi and Andres Iniesta pulling the strings from behind. And he feels that he would be a good fit into the club’s style of play.

“I rememeber Barça being a spectacular team with Xavi and Iniesta in midfield, as well as the MSN in the attack. I think I can fit in that style,” the young forward claimed.

When quizzed to name his idol, Endrick picked Rivaldo, saying: “Rivaldo is my favorite player of all time, because he was a Palmeiras idol, because he was left-footed, like me. I had the opportunity to meet him in person.”

Endrick also named another Barcelona icon, Ronaldinho, as someone he looks up to as well, as he said: “I did not watch Ronaldinho at Barça, but I’ve checked out his highlights on YouTube. Here in Brazil, we love him, because he represents football as an art. I’m fortunate to be in a country where I can learn how to dribble and score.”

Finally, opening up on his ambitions and goals, the youngster said: “My goal is always to show my performance and, of course, by playing better, I’m going to arouse the interest of teams from the big European championships.”

Despite the rising interest in Endrick, he will only be able to move to Europe when he turns 18. However, clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid can reach an agreement with Palmeiras to sign him right now, before bringing him on board a couple of years down the line.