Endrick, a 17-year-old Brazilian football star, has been signed by New Balance Football, confirming rumors and sightings on the pitch.

The brand’s goal is to help and promote the next crop of talented players, and this signing is part of that. Endrick used to be signed to Nike. He joined New Balance after his deal with Nike expired in February 2023, and he had six months to extend it with Nike.

It has been praised that Endrick helped Palmeiras win the Brazilian top-flight league title and was called up to the Brazil national team. To celebrate, he showed off a pair of limited-edition gold New Balance Tekela v4+ Low boots called “Accolade,” which were made just for him.

New Balance was able to sign Endrick instead of other brands like Nike, Adidas, and Puma because they could give him a more visible and important role than all of those other brands. Endrick said in a statement that he was thrilled to be joining the New Balance family and that he felt privileged to work with a company that shares his values both on and off the pitch.

It is known that New Balance has a history of signing and developing young football stars, like Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, and Harvey Elliot. They are investing in the next generation of football stars.

Endrick is expected to be present at the company’s Boston headquarters when the purchase is officially announced in December of this year.

According to ESPN, Endrick rejected offers from Nike, Adidas, and Puma to sign with New Balance. It’s said that the primary reason is that, unlike other brands, New Balance collaborated with the players to create a distinctive shoe because they recognized their greatest potential.