Ancelotti criticised after Endrick snub during Brazil vs. Morocco

Carlo Ancelotti has already faced backlash for his decision to leave teenage talent Endrick on the bench for the entirety of Brazil’s World Cup draw against Morocco on Saturday night, but the coach says that he will not discuss ‘individual players’, only the team’s collective performance.

Brazil opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Morocco in New York: Ismael Saobari opened the scoring after 21 minutes, Vinicius Jr. provided the response 10 minutes later.

Though Morocco had reached an historic World Cup semi-final in 2022, Brazil were still considered the favourites by many heading into Saturday’s showdown. A 1-1 draw was still considered slightly underwhelming by fans of the most successful nation in World Cup history.

Ancelotti has faced criticism online for one particular decision he made during the 1-1 draw with Morocco, namely the choice to leave 19-year-old Endrick on the bench for the whole game while Brazil were going in search of a goal.

Endrick came into the World Cup having scored five times and having provided seven assists for his teammates from 16 appearances while on loan with Lyon in Ligue 1, but the teenager had struggled to break into the Real Madrid first team under Ancelotti in 2024-25 and now some fans are concerned that the same thing is happening with the Brazil national side.

“I am not going to comment on individual players, I am here to talk about the team,” said Ancelotti when quizzed about his decision to leave Endrick on the bench during his post-match press conference.

Still, many fans across social media still disagree with Ancelotti’s decision: “Whenever you mention Endrick, this is usually his response, even from when he was managing Real Madrid. This is unfair,” one supporter wrote on X.

“Endrick wins them that game. Vini, Endrick and Raphinha should be the starting attackers,” another added.

One fan wrote: “I won’t comment on individual players is what coaches say when they don’t have a good answer. Endrick deserves more than silence.”