In a letter to his younger brother Noah published on The Player’s Tribune, the Brazilian player about to join Real Madrid Endrick talked about his childhood hunger, seeing it as the motivation to realize his life-changing dream for himself and his family. by football.

Real Madrid President Florentino Perez welcomed Endrick in the club’s traditional room at Bernabeu Stadium in December 2023. Photo: realmadrid.com

Dear Noah,

I love you kid. That’s the first thing, above everything.

Since the day my mother gave birth to you, I have felt that we have a special connection. I never told you, but when you were about to be born, you waited for me to score.

This is true! At that time, I was playing an important football match, I was only 13 years old, and you weren’t born yet. The clock kept ticking away, and Mom and Dad were both worried about what I was waiting for if I hadn’t come out yet. And suddenly, dad received a call from his friend who was watching him play. The uncle announced: “Douglas, Endrick just scored!!”.

And at that moment, I cried loudly throughout the hospital.

I finally came out to celebrate the goal with you. When I got to the hospital, I gave you a gift. I didn’t have any money to buy toys, but I gave you the Golden Ball – the award for the best player from that tournament.

Do you see? Our family was not born into luxury. We were born into… football.

I don’t know when you will read this letter, but you are four years old now and our lives are changing dramatically. In just a few months, he will go to Spain to play for Real Madrid. Yes, that’s the team I always choose on PlayStation when you watch me play. I want the world to know about our family life, and it’s a crazy story. So this is my chance to tell you everything that happened, with mom and dad here to help me narrate.

You know, in our family, everything starts and ends with the ball. Mom said that when I was a kid, you never liked playing with toys like I did. If someone gives him a toy, he only holds it for five seconds before putting it back in the box. The only thing he wanted to play with was the ball.

It could be a roll of tape, a sock or a basketball… it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s round, or even square, you’ll want to kick it. When he was given the 2014 World Cup version of the Brazuca ball from his father’s team, he looked at it like a painting. He even hugs the ball to sleep! Loving football is in my blood, kid.

Endrick and his younger brother Noah. Photo The Player’s Tribune

You can ask your mother how you introduce yourself.

“What is your name?”

“Endrick Felipe Moreira de Sousa, FORWARD”.

People will laugh, thinking this is a really cute boy. But that’s what I mean! He always believed that he would succeed, and his mother still cried when she remembered that. Mom always said words have power.

In the past, my house was not as luxurious as it is now. I also can’t have a refrigerator full of yogurt that you like now. My family lives in the Vila Guaira area, and life is very different. Then in the next few years, you will hear people talk a lot about our family’s life back then, that it was all suffering. But the truth is that he had a wonderful childhood, thank God, and thanks to his parents’ sacrifices. And of course, thanks to football too.

I don’t think I’ve ever told this, but when I was around your age, our street was on a hill. He often played soccer with his friends in the neighborhood, and part of the reason we played so well was because if the ball landed at the bottom of the hill, the person who missed the shot would have to run down to get the ball from the slums below. So if someone passes someone and misses a shot, that person will have to run even harder to catch the ball before it falls to the bottom of the hill.

It’s extreme, but it’s the rules of the street, you have to follow it. You missed the shot, so run and get the ball.

I miss that time so much, when I was just a kid and football was just a game, where kids sat around and chatted…, as we call it “resenha”. I really wish that we could experience those days together.

When he thought about it, he was both happy and sad. Those beautiful memories can never come back. But even painful memories have moments of sweetness.

When you grow up, you will hear about “armchair talk”. People talked about it in Brazil, but most of it was wrong. They say that we are poor, that we have no food, but that is not true. They don’t know their mother. She always told everyone: “I am too much of a woman to let my children have nothing to eat.”

The truth is that he saw his father cry that day. For a 10-year-old child, he thought it was the first time in his life that he truly understood that the family situation was very difficult.

On the dining table, the family always has everything we need, but not what we want. Do you understand the difference?

We always live on the bare minimum. Dad recalled that he sat on the chair and said: “Don’t worry, Dad. I will become a football player, and I will get our family out of this situation.”

Before that day, he was just a kid and football was just a game. After that day, football became the path to a better life.

A few weeks later, he left the city for Sao Paulo to join the Palmeiras academy. Here, he set his first goal: helping his family’s situation get better. Goals are an important part of his life. That’s how you talk to God. When he arrived in Palmeiras, he knew he had to eat at least two or three meals a day at school and the training ground. But unfortunately, it’s not easy for mom…

His mother left her hometown life behind to accompany his dream in Sao Paulo. The team only had room for him, but mom said there was no way he was going to go without her. Dad stayed to work and send him money, and his mother moved in with him in a small house with some of his teammates. All under one roof. But when we went to practice, mom had no one to talk to. We also don’t have TV or internet at home, so mom brought out the Bible, sat and talked to God alone. The only thing Mom really owns is a chair. Mom put her bag on it and when everyone was in bed, she would lie on a mattress on the floor.

I know it’s hard for you to imagine your mother sleeping on the floor, but it’s true, it’s what happened.

Sometimes mothers have to count every last cent. Dad still sent money, but that was a time when money transfers weren’t as fast as they are now and it took a day, even two, for the money to arrive. On the good days when the money came early, Mom would grill sausages for the whole group. But most days, we barely have enough to eat, and I feel guilty having to cook at home, because my teammates will ask me what smells so good, and if there’s anything left for them… I know what to say? There’s nothing left.

Agent Frederico Pena (left), Endrick, with his parents and younger brother Noah during a contract negotiation. Photo: Frederico Pena

It was so painful that Mom stopped cooking altogether. There were times when he was a little hungry before going to sleep, and asked if there was anything left to eat, and mom would say, “Go to sleep, baby. Sleep will make your hunger go away.”

Sometimes, when our family is really thirsty for money, mom can still borrow a little rice or some money. But one day, she had nothing left: no money and no one to ask for help. She called her father and said: “Douglas, I’m so hungry. I don’t know what to do.”

Dad immediately sent 50 reais, but the money had to wait another day to arrive. Mother knelt down and prayed to God to help her. Then she pulled the bag down and began to peel it open. And she found two reais. Small coins, and as a gift from God.

She went to the grocery store and bought a two-day-old loaf of bread. Today, if asked again, my mother would say it was delicious. Hunger is a strange thing, enough to make stale bread taste like heaven.

I wish I didn’t have to tell you this, because hunger and thirst are not a good thing. I hope you never have to go through it like mom did. Because it’s an important part of our story. Next time you see your mother, hug her and say thank you, because our lives would not be what they are today without her sacrifice.

Honestly, there were many things he didn’t know until recently, because his mother always hid her pain to protect his dream. He never saw his mother cry, because she always went to the bathroom so he wouldn’t know. Mom called dad many times and told him that he couldn’t continue anymore, that he wanted to go home… Then when he and his friends came back from the practice field, excitedly talking about what had happened and what happened. goal. Mom could see the happiness in his eyes, and so she chose to stay. For you. Because we.

That’s my brothers’ mother, always doing what’s necessary. Sometimes she is like a sergeant, always fighting and saying what we need to hear even though we don’t really want to hear it. And sometimes she will hug us and make the best omelet in the world. Remember that everything you do is for one simple reason: You want what’s best for us.

Dad also sacrificed a lot. After a few months, he went to Sao Paulo to support his mother and brother, and he went to Palmeiras to ask the club for any work he could. They assigned him the job of cleaning inside the stadium. He always dreamed about being in the football locker room as a child, so he happily accepted. He worked there for three years, starting from picking up trash in the yard until being “promoted” to cleaning the first team’s locker room. He often told the players that one day, his son would be with them.

One day, goalkeeper Jailson noticed that his father was getting thinner and thinner. At the cafeteria, the staff ate with the players, and he realized his father was just sitting and eating soup. He immediately put his arm around his father’s shoulder and asked: “Hey Douglas, please lend me your phone. I will call your wife.”

Dad was surprised: “My wife? What do you want from my wife?’

Jailson reasoned: “No, no. I just wanted to tell her what’s going on with you. You never eat anything. Are you okay?”

Dad was too shy to explain, so Jailson actually called his mom and learned the truth. That Dad burned his hand while grilling meat when he was a kid, so bad that he almost lost his entire hand. They gave my father many strong antibiotics to fight inflammation, so his teeth were very weak. By the time he worked for Palmeiras, his teeth had fallen out and he could only eat soup.

Jailson quickly raised money from the team, and they surprised his father with the money to help him straighten his teeth. God blesses us in many wonderful ways, my brother.

Dad once longed to bite into an apple, and now by God’s grace, he can bite into anything he likes.

At that moment, his second dream came true. My family moved to an apartment above the lottery shop right next to Palmeiras stadium. He can look out the window and see the dream come true every morning when he wakes up and every night before he sleeps. It’s gorgeous.

Wait, you haven’t told me the story about your father…

Mom is the rock, and dad is my brother’s friend. That’s the way things have always been. But there’s more to my father’s story than what I’ve heard. If you think I’ve been through tough times, you’re wrong. He was born in paradise compared to his father. When Dad was a boy, Grandpa wasn’t always around the family. Football is also a way for dad to get out of that situation. At age 15, my father left home and walked from Brasília to São Paulo. Half the time, dad walks on the road! Walk! It’s been an incredibly long road, my dear. Dad didn’t even tell his mother! Along the way, Dad carried his entire life on his back: a pair of soccer shoes, two 2-liter bottles — one water, one soda — and a few loaves of bread. Dad’s plan is to try out with every club in the city. It took Dad a whole week, walking and catching a bus along the way.

When he finally arrived in São Paulo, Dad had no money and didn’t know where to go, so he just wandered around and knocked on every club’s door, asking them when they were recruiting. Someone from the São Paulo FC team saw that dad was having a hard time so he gave him some food from their restaurant. On one of the coldest nights, a woman from a charity organization found Dad sleeping under a tree in the park and invited him to a place to rest. But the place was incredibly warm, and it had been more than three nights since he had slept in a bed, so Dad overslept and missed the performance with Nacional AC the next day.

Can you imagine how tired Dad must have been? Can you imagine spending a week walking to pursue your dream, only to miss it when you get that opportunity?

When his father told the story, he really didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. There was another night when it was raining, and Dad had no place to go so he walked to the Palmeiras stadium and slept under the roof of the ticket counter. Dad couldn’t make his dream come true, but he did everything he could.

Endrick’s football dream was forged from his father Douglas and his unfinished career.

When his father returned to Brasília, he played baseball for a living. You know about the shadow, right? There is no salary or reward there, just pure passion. People play just to get a little “help” when needed, while dad plays to pay the electricity bill, or to receive a small bag of rice. As a child, he used to accompany his father to every match and play with a ball on the edge of the field. When halftime comes, when people are playing music, partying and placing bets, he often comes out and shows off his techniques. Do you think that’s why he still mumbles songs while competing?

Dad used to see him after matches and say: “Endrick, how did you get a bottle of Coca-Cola? You didn’t take it from anyone, did you?”.

He replied: “No, no, I kicked the crossbar and Dudu over there won 10 reais. He bought me a bottle of Coca-Cola because I helped him win the bet. If I hit it again , he will buy you a skewer of meat!”.

That’s how he makes a living! Mom always said he often came home dirty from playing in the mud for a long time. You know what street land is like in Brazil, right? Mom had to bathe him like a dog, but as soon as he was clean, he… ran out into the street to play football again. Do you still keep what I said? My family was born in football.

Your dream is not only my dream, but also the dream of our father, of our grandfather, of our entire family.

Do you think when dad was sleeping under the roof of the ticket booth at the Palmeiras stadium, did he dream that one day his son would play football there?

When he turned 15 and became a professional footballer with Palmeiras, he could truly say that he had everything he had ever wanted in life, thank God. I was able to buy Mom a house and get both of our grandmothers out of Chaparral, a very dangerous place. After that conversation with his father on the sofa, he knew he had achieved his first goal: Helping his family have a better life.

What a beautiful moment!

But it was also such a feeling of relief.

When you were a baby, we lived a completely different life, and that life will continue to change in the years to come.

In a few months, I will move to Spain, and you will come with me. Real Madrid…. That was his third goal, but one he never dared to write down. When he was 7 or 8 years old, he didn’t have a phone or anything, so he often borrowed his mother’s computer to watch compilation videos about Real Madrid. I know you’re too young to remember these names, but I was crazy about Real Madrid in the 2013-2014 season with Cristiano, Modrić and Benzema. That was the door that brought him into the club’s history. I started going on YouTube and learning about the Galácticos and going back in time to learn more about Puskás, Di Stéfano…. Believe me, in Madrid, you will soon hear more about these names.

You can learn anything on YouTube – it’s like a university! He watches videos about Cristiano Ronaldo more than anyone else. Not just the compilation videos, but also how hard he works and what others say about his will. From CR7, he learned that hard work is more important than talent.

One day, he hopes to meet him. Until now, as I write these lines, I have never met him. But his son follows me on Instagram, so I hope that by the time you read this, I’ll be able to shake his hand. May God come, everything will go well at Real Madrid and with your career, and Cristiano will follow you! Maybe both you and I! Hahaha.

Meet Cristiano Ronaldo. That’s the fourth goal.

The fifth goal is to finish the remaining season with Palmeiras and win the Paulista tournament – Sao Paulo state championship.

Endrick rejoiced after scoring to help Palmeiras overcome Novorizontino in the semi-finals on March 28, winning the right to enter the final match for the Paulista championship. Photo: Reuters

And the sixth goal… You actually have a funny story about that. When he visited Real Madrid for the first time a few months ago, many great things happened. When meeting president Florentino Pérez, he looked into his father’s eyes and said: “Real Madrid will be the only club that treats Endrick like his son.”

You should have seen dad’s face when he said that. That really means a lot to dad. He met Bellingham – the super player who always scores goals for him on PlayStation , and everyone calls him Jude, so he told him: “Hey Jude, next time you score, you’ll celebrate like me “. When he scored, he sent the video to him on Instagram , which Jude shared.

He even received some advice from living legend Ronaldo “The Alien”. It’s all like a dream. But what he remembers most is when he went into the dressing room and Modrić talked to him. His No. 10 shirt was hanging on the wall and he pointed to the seat next to him and said: “Number 9 and No. 10. Who knows… next season, maybe you’ll sit next to me.”

That really touched him. He thought: “It’s unbelievable, if Modrić believes he deserves to wear the number 9 shirt, then he definitely deserves it.”

I haven’t been to Madrid yet, so I don’t know, but I hope that one day I will wear Real Madrid’s number 9 shirt.

What about goal number 7? He wants to have his own house in Madrid with his own room to hang a big whiteboard with all his goals recorded on it! Hahaha. Mom still won’t let me hang a whiteboard at her house!

“There’s no room, Endrick! There’s no room!”

I know how my mother is. We must respect our mother.

Actually, he has another goal, but he won’t number it, because it has already been achieved. That goal is for me to live the life I want, no matter what it is.

For three generations, and perhaps more, our family has followed the dream of football. We tried to change our circumstances. But now I can do whatever I want. You could become a doctor or a lawyer, or perhaps since we’re going to Spain – the country of Nadal and Alcaraz – you could become a professional tennis player. I was chasing the ball, just like you. So you can become a soccer player if you want. But you don’t need to do that. No more pressure, thank God, thank Mom and Dad, and thank football.

Enjoy your life the way you want, little brother. That’s my gift to you.

And now, this is where this letter ends and the future begins. Do you see? People ask me constantly about Real Madrid, and the national team, what I think my career will be like… But do you know what the truth is?

I really don’t know.

In life, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. We don’t know if we will have tomorrow. All we can do is thank God for all the things He has given us.

I hope you understand now, little brother. The life we ​​live does not come naturally. It came deservedly, through hard work and many tears. Mom always said that one small mistake can destroy everything, and she was always right.

Endrick celebrates after scoring the only goal to help Brazil win 1-0 against England in a friendly match in London on March 23. Photo: Reuters

The moment we forget where we came from and what we have been through, we can lose our way.

That’s why I’m giving you this gift of our family’s history.

Mom ate a piece of old cake.

Dad slept under the ticket counter.

Mom cried in the bathroom.

Dad cried on the sofa.

I hope you will always keep these stories in your heart.

Love you, little brother.

From the bottom of my heart.

Endrick Felipe Moreira de Sousa, FORWARD