Douglas Sousa used the day of Brazil vs Norway to send Endrick a public tribute, calling his son a winner beyond football. The message landed on the morning of the 2026 Copa do Mundo round of 16, with Brazil set to face Noruega at 17h in Nova Jersey, Estados Unidos.
Douglas Sousa and Endrick
In the post, Sousa said Endrick had become more than a great football player and had become an upright man. He wrote that titles, victories and recognition pass, but character and values remain forever.
He then put the family message in plain terms: he would be in the stands again, praying, cheering and vibrating for him. Sousa also said his son would always be a winner to him because he had “vencido na vida sem perder a sua essência.”
Martinelli starts for Brasil
The tribute arrived with one more layer around the lineup. After Lucas Paquetá's injury, part of the crowd had pointed to Endrick as a favorite to start against Noruega, but Carlo Ancelotti chose Martinelli instead.
That choice left Endrick in the spotlight without a starting role, and it turned Sousa’s message into more than a family note. The father was not reacting to a goal or a result. He was backing his son on a knockout day when the selection call had already gone the other way.
Sousa’s earlier viral tears in the stands added to the attention around the post. He said those tears came from “gratitude, orgulho e um amor que não cabe no peito” after seeing his son play in his first World Cup.
For Brazil, the immediate question was already settled in the lineup: Martinelli started, and Endrick did not. Sousa’s words made the personal side of that decision impossible to miss.
