It was the 90+5 minute of the match between Real Madrid and Stuttgart in the opening round of the 2024-2025 Champions League. At that time, the Royal team was leading 2-1, the opponent raised the formation to attack and lost the ball. Endrick, receiving the ball from near the home team's penalty area, dribbled the ball into the opponent's field, creating a 3 vs 2 situation, with Kylian Mbappe on the left, Vinicius Junior waiting on the right.
Which of the two seniors should the 18-year-old pass the ball to? Mbappe, who had scored in that match but is a new signing and still needs more goals to establish himself at the Bernabeu? Or Vinicius, who has yet to score and is also a fellow Brazilian? In a matter of seconds, Endrick had to make a decision.
And this young man's decision surprised everyone. A long-range shot, a goal that sealed the 3-1 score. Mbappe and Vinicius rushed to celebrate with him. The first goal, in the first 15 minutes of Endrick's time in the Champions League...
There are many ways to look at this move, some praise, some criticize, and some claim it was luck. But what coach Carlo Ancelotti said after the match, can accurately describe what Endrick did: Courage.
For many young players, entering the field is a great pressure, not only to express themselves but also to please their seniors with passes. Because of that, it can cause the young people's ability to be limited in thinking, losing the freedom and emotion to express their talent.
In fact, it is possible to say that Endrick was lucky, but luck came in a brave decision that most likely, would have consequences (not results) if not a goal. That is, he was ready to face it. Young Vietnamese players, such as the recent appearance of 16-year-old Tran Gia Bao of Hoang Anh Gia Lai, will also need a similar element of courage to express themselves and assert themselves.
Of course, courage is in the common playing style, not personal selfishness, showing off. Because after all, the collective is the support for the individual to be able to rise up at a certain moment. And courage in stories off the field too, in the face of many temptations and enticements, the consequences of which have had individuals take responsibility before the law and be condemned by society.
