Ancelotti Is Hiding Brazil’s Best Weapon — And It Could Cost Them Everything

The Seleção have one of the most electrifying young forwards on the planet sitting on their bench. So why won’t Carlo Ancelotti play him?

Brazil came to the 2026 World Cup with the weight of 24 years of hurt on their shoulders and a nation desperate for their sixth star. After one match, they have one point, a nervous fanbase, and the same question on everyone’s lips: where is Endrick?

In Brazil’s World Cup opener against Morocco, thousands of fans clad in highlighter yellow made the trek to MetLife Stadium. After 90 minutes of tense, back-and-forth play that ended in a 1-1 draw, they left less than thrilled. “That was a terrible performance,” one supporter said leaving the stadium. And yet, for all of Brazil’s desperation to find a winner, Ancelotti left his most dynamic finisher glued to the bench for the full 90 minutes.

Nineteen years old. Eight goals and eight assists in 21 appearances at Lyon. Romario, a 1994 World Cup winner and a man who knows a thing or two about Brazilian strikers, put it bluntly: “Endrick has found his shooting boots again at Lyon. He’s a hard-working kid who knows how to get himself into the right positions and find the net. He might be Brazil’s best out-and-out striker right now.”

Brazil’s best out-and-out striker. Sitting on the bench.

What Endrick Gives Brazil That No One Else Does

Cafu, Brazil’s two-time World Cup-winning captain, was equally effusive: “He’s in brilliant form. He’s got the whole package he’s quick, strong, skilful, a threat from free kicks and good in the air. He wears the Brazil shirt without fear; he doesn’t feel the weight of it.” That last point matters enormously. A young team at a major tournament needs someone who thrives on the big stage rather than wilting under it.

Against Morocco, Igor Thiago started at centre-forward before being replaced by Matheus Cunha. Ancelotti himself later explained his thinking: “Matheus Cunha is more of a link-up player, he has more attacking midfielder quality than a target man.” Fine but Brazil don’t need a link-up player when they’re chasing a game. They need someone who can finish. Endrick is that player.

Endrick came into the World Cup having scored five times and registered seven assists from 16 appearances on loan at Lyon, but the teenager had struggled to break into the Real Madrid first team under Ancelotti and now some fans are concerned that the same thing is happening with the Brazil national side. That concern is completely legitimate.

The Ancelotti Problem

This is the broader issue. Ancelotti is a club football genius nobody disputes that. But there are growing signs that his methods are not translating to the national team stage, where he has weeks rather than months to prepare, and where tactical rigidity can be fatal.

Morocco out-passed Brazil for significant stretches of the match a statistical anomaly for a side that under previous coaches had maintained possession dominance in most major fixtures. Ancelotti himself attributed the draw to nervousness, loss of possession, and a lack of balance, particularly in the first half.

The central structural failure was clear: Ancelotti’s system relies on a double pivot to function as the bridge between the defensive block and the high press. Casemiro no longer offers that athletically. His positional reading and passing range remain elite, but the physical demands of press-recovery are different from what Real Madrid’s conservative mid-block required of him. Yet Casemiro started, and was hauled off at half-time.

When the Brazilian media confronted Ancelotti after the Morocco match about why Endrick hadn’t been brought on when Brazil needed a goal, his response was breathtaking in its evasiveness. “I’m not here to talk about any player individually,” he said. “I only talk about the team.” One fan put it perfectly online: “I won’t comment on individual players is what coaches say when they don’t have a good answer.”

“The Right Moment” May Never Come

Ancelotti has promised: “I’ll bring Endrick on at the right moment. We’ll have to wait a little while. He’ll be important in this World Cup. For me, personally, Endrick is an extraordinary talent. Brazil will make the most of his qualities in this World Cup and in the next one too.”

“The next one too.” That phrase should alarm every Brazil fan. It suggests Ancelotti already sees Endrick as a project for 2030 a consolation prize for the future while the present slips away. But this is the World Cup Brazil are playing in. This is the tournament where 24 years of hurt ends or continues.

Pressure is growing on Ancelotti to hand Endrick a starting role. The 19-year-old remained an unused substitute against Morocco, prompting criticism from supporters and pundits alike. Ahead of the Haiti match, Ancelotti made it clear that outside opinions will not influence his team selection. That stubbornness, which served him so well at Real Madrid, may be his greatest weakness as a national team coach.

Brazil have the talent to win this World Cup. Vinicius is in the form of his life. Raphinha is dangerous. The squad is deep. But a tournament is won in the moments when a manager makes the brave call when he trusts the player who is in form, who is fearless, who was literally born for this stage.

That player is Endrick. He’s 19, he’s ready, and he’s on the bench.

Ancelotti, the clock is ticking.