Endrick Not Alone: Young Stars to Watch at Copa América
The Copa América in the United States, which began this Thursday, will showcase a large group of young talents aspiring to dominate world football in the future.
Here are five rising stars expected to show their full potential in the oldest national team tournament on the planet:
Endrick (Brazil) The 17-year-old forward has become the biggest sensation in Brazilian football since Neymar's breakthrough. In July, he will join Real Madrid after a meteoric rise at Palmeiras. He joined the São Paulo club at age 10 and scored 161 goals in 188 matches in the youth categories. He was promoted to the first team at 16 and has won two league titles (2022 and 2023), playing a key role in the latter. He's made a strong impression with the national team, and many are calling for him to be the starting number 9.
Valentín Carboni (Argentina) The 19-year-old attacking midfielder, currently on loan at Italian club Monza, was the big surprise in Lionel Scaloni's squad list. Scaloni chose the young Buenos Aires native over more experienced players like Ángel Correa (Atlético de Madrid) and Paulo Dybala (Roma). Trained at Lanús, Carboni made the leap to European football with Catania before joining Inter Milan, where he currently holds a contract. He played for Italy's U-17 team but later opted to represent Argentina.
Kendry Paez (Ecuador) The 17-year-old from Guayaquil already has extensive experience in the Copa Libertadores and even played in the 2023 U-20 World Cup in Argentina, where he was one of the standout players. An undisputed starter for Independiente del Valle, which he joined at just 15, Paez is increasingly established in the Ecuadorian national team, wearing the number 10 jersey. He became the youngest Ecuadorian player to play for the senior national team. Chelsea has secured his services and is waiting for him to turn 18 to bring him into the club.
Yaser Asprilla (Colombia) The 20-year-old Watford midfielder also played in the recent U-20 World Cup and is now a regular in the senior team, having started to appear during the South American qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Skillful, fast, and with good ball control, Asprilla has been compared in Colombia to the legendary Faustino Asprilla, who made history with Parma in Italy and Newcastle in England. Hailing from Chocó, one of Colombia's poorest departments, he stood out at Envigado and has settled in at Watford, which will remain in the English second division for another year.
Miguel Terceros (Bolivia) Terceros plays as an attacking midfielder but can also play on the wing. The 20-year-old is the great hope of a Bolivian national team mourning the retirement of its historic forward Marcelo Martins Moreno. In fact, the only goal scored by Bolivia in their three preparatory friendlies for the Copa América against Mexico (1-0), Ecuador (3-1), and Colombia (3-0) was his. Known as 'Miguelito,' he plays for Santos, the club of Pelé. In the last edition of the Copinha de São Paulo, Brazil's most prestigious youth tournament, he was one of the best players with four goals and four assists. He is expected to join Santos' first team, which is playing in the second division for the first time in its history, after the Copa América.
