Discover Endrick! Mentor: Endrick only looks forward on the court, making it difficult for him to observe his surroundings.

As Ndrick's first coach in Palmeiras, Eduardo Alemão was interviewed and talked about Ndrick's characteristics and the story behind his growth.

How did you discover Endric?

We brought him for trial training after watching some videos. In the first few training sessions, he showed his ability. Eventually he passed the tryout. What attracted us most was his personality. It is an even greater honor for Palmeiras to have him than for him to join Palmeiras.

How old was he at that time?

He was 11 years old at the time. Until then, he had been playing in Brasilia, two hours away from Sao Paulo.

Are you his first coach?

Yes, I took care of him for the first three years. His family is very close to him and his mentality is like nothing I've ever seen.

When he joined Real Madrid, you posted a photo on social media to see him off, and he replied "I love you, coach."

My relationship with the players is more like friends than just a coach. The further away you are from the player, the worse the relationship will be. Must remain on the same level. I can have my tactics, but I also have eleven players. I would rather trust these eleven players than my tactics.

Is he the same type of player he was at 11 years old as he is now?

He was the kind of player who could decide the game. He doesn't score many goals, but he plays a decisive role. He has a strong mentality and decision-making skills.

There was a time when you couldn't play him as a forward, but you found a place for him on the left

I was promoted from the U11 echelon to the U13 echelon. I called him: There's a spot for you on the team... as a winger. He answered me: OK. Then he played really well on the left.

He didn't play much time in Real Madrid. Will returning to the wing be a solution?

When he went to Real Madrid, I knew it would be very difficult. It was an extremely huge club. But over time, he will earn his place. I'm very confident that he will become a very important player.

Do you think loaning is a good option for him?

It's hard to say...but I believe in him very much. I believe that even if he doesn't have much playing time, he can find space for himself. He must keep trying.

Sometimes he seems to be focused on scoring goals, being a little impulsive and not observing the situation around him.

This is how he was taught. Just look at the goal, just look forward. Depending on the position, he might be able to make a change. But with the way he plays, it's difficult to get him to look around.

In this game we saw very few players who were good at dribbling. How did Palmeiras develop this personal ability?

Our model is to focus on individual one-on-one training, because in this way the defensive players will become better and the forwards will become more independent. He will take on dribbling responsibilities. We want to develop "individualistic" players because that's what professional football needs. This may make our team appear a bit unorganized and undisciplined as a whole, but it is crucial to the growth of the players, both with and without the ball.

Does South America produce more dribblers than Europe?

You have to allow players to make mistakes. If Esteban always made the right decisions, he wouldn't be a dribbler. Most of the time, he will choose to pass the ball to the wing.

What do you think of the current Brazilian national team?

Excellent. Because of its glorious history, the current team is somewhat underappreciated. But it has a good player base. Our goal at Palmeiras is to develop players at the highest level, but it is not easy. If there were any fixed method, everyone would follow it.

Do you think Vinicius, Rodrigo or Rafinha can be compared with Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Rivaldo?

This is impossible, they are in different eras. But I believe this current team can also win the World Cup. Who knows, maybe at some point these players will step up.

Do you like Ancelotti? And what do you think of a foreign coach coaching the Brazilian team?

This is a conceptual error. This is football. What I value is history, everyone has their own history. We have to support him, whether he is Spanish, Brazilian or Italian... this is football.