He should just play. He's a good player.
At nineteen, Brazilian forward Endrick marked a decisive performance against PSG with a dance celebration that drew public rebuke from Moroccan defender Hakimi — a man he may soon face on the World Cup stage. The moment crystallized something older than football: the tension between youthful exuberance and the unwritten codes of competitive respect. What looked like joy to one felt like provocation to another, and in that gap lives a question the sport has never fully resolved.
- Endrick scored and assisted in Lyon's 2-1 win over PSG, dancing in front of the home crowd in a celebration that stopped the match's emotional clock.
- Hakimi confronted him on the pitch afterward, publicly urging the teenager to let his football speak — but later admitted the loss made the dancing far harder to stomach.
- The friction carries extra weight: Morocco and Brazil could meet in the World Cup opener, turning this club-level irritation into a preview of something much larger.
- Endrick is fighting for one of the last spots on Ancelotti's crowded attacking roster, and every goal, assist, and headline — good or bad — feeds directly into that calculation.
Endrick was nineteen and still making his case. On Sunday at the Parc des Princes, he made it loudly — scoring and setting up a second goal as Lyon beat PSG 2-1. His celebration of the first, a dance directed at the home crowd, caught the eye of Achraf Hakimi, who lined up for Paris that afternoon.
Hakimi was not pleased. After the final whistle, he confronted Endrick on the pitch, later telling reporters that a player of his quality should simply focus on football. "He's a good player," Hakimi said. "He should just play." But he also acknowledged the obvious: the dancing would have bothered him far less if his team had been winning. The honesty was disarming, even as it softened the moral weight of his complaint.
The timing gave the episode an added dimension. Morocco and Brazil are potential opponents in the World Cup's opening round, meaning Hakimi and Endrick could meet again on a much larger stage — rivals already sizing each other up.
For Endrick, the performance itself was what mattered most. His move to Lyon was designed to build exactly this kind of argument for Ancelotti's consideration. With Vinícius Júnior, Raphinha, Estêvão, and others already near-certain selections, and Rodrygo lost to injury, only a handful of attacking spots remained open. A goal and an assist against one of Europe's biggest clubs was the statement he needed.
The celebration was Endrick being young, confident, and fully present in the moment. Whether Ancelotti sees it the same way — or whether Hakimi's irritation lingers into summer — remains to be seen. Every goal counts. Apparently, so does everything that follows.
Endrick was nineteen years old and still fighting for his place. The Brazilian forward had moved to France to prove himself, and on Sunday at the Parc des Princes, he did exactly that—scoring and setting up a second goal as Lyon beat PSG 2-1. But the way he celebrated the first one, dancing in front of the home crowd, caught the attention of Achraf Hakimi, the Moroccan defender who lined up for Paris that day.
Hakimi was irritated. Not just by the loss, though that mattered. The celebration itself felt like provocation to him, a taunt directed at supporters who had just watched their team fall behind. After the match, Hakimi made his displeasure known, confronting Endrick on the pitch about the dancing. Later, he explained himself: he wanted his team focused, wanted the Brazilian to stop doing things that had nothing to do with football. "He's a good player," Hakimi said. "He should just play."
The timing of the friction was worth noting. Hakimi and Endrick were likely to meet again soon—possibly in the opening match of the World Cup in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, if Endrick made Carlo Ancelotti's squad. Morocco would be Brazil's opponent. The confrontation carried that weight, the sense of rivals sizing each other up before a larger stage.
But Hakimi's complaint was also rooted in something simpler: frustration at losing. He acknowledged as much when pressed. The dancing wouldn't have bothered him nearly as much if Lyon hadn't been winning. "When he does things that have nothing to do with football, it can irritate me, especially because we were losing," he said. The honesty was refreshing, even if it undercut the moral high ground he'd initially claimed.
For Endrick, the goal and the assist were what mattered most. At nineteen, he was competing for one of the final attacking spots on Brazil's World Cup roster. Ancelotti had several names locked in—Vinícius Júnior, Raphinha, Estêvão, Matheus Cunha, Martinelli, and Luiz Henrique were all but certain. Rodrygo would have been another guaranteed selection, but a serious injury had removed him from consideration. That left a handful of spots for a crowded field of talented forwards, and Endrick needed to keep scoring, keep assisting, keep making the case that he belonged.
His move to Lyon was supposed to be the vehicle for that argument. Playing in France, away from Brazil, he could accumulate the kind of performances that would be hard for Ancelotti to ignore. A goal and an assist in a victory over PSG, one of Europe's biggest clubs, was exactly the kind of statement he needed to make. The celebration, the dancing—that was just Endrick being young, being confident, being alive in the moment. Hakimi saw it as disrespect. Endrick probably saw it as joy.
The question now was whether performances like this one would be enough. Ancelotti would have months to watch, to decide, to weigh Endrick against the other options. Every goal mattered. Every assist mattered. And apparently, so did how you chose to celebrate them.
Citas Notables
When he does things that have nothing to do with football, it can irritate me, especially because we were losing.— Achraf Hakimi
He's a good player. He should just play football.— Achraf Hakimi
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did Hakimi care so much about a celebration? It's just a dance.
Because they were losing. He said so himself. The dance felt like mockery when your team is going down 2-1. It's not really about the dance—it's about the moment.
But Endrick was just playing well. He scored and assisted. Shouldn't that be enough?
It should be. And for Endrick, it is. He's nineteen and fighting for a World Cup spot. Every goal is ammunition. But Hakimi saw it differently—as showboating when the result wasn't going his way.
Are they actually going to face each other at the World Cup?
Possibly. Brazil and Morocco could meet in the group stage. So this wasn't just a club match—it was two players who might be opponents in a few months, sizing each other up.
Does Endrick have a real chance of making the squad?
He has to. Ancelotti has maybe three or four spots left after the guaranteed names. Rodrygo got hurt, which opened a door. Endrick is young, hungry, and now he's proving he can perform against top clubs. Performances like Sunday's are exactly what he needs.
What would Hakimi say if Endrick makes the team?
Probably nothing. They'll be opponents. But he'll remember the dance, and he'll remember losing. That's how these things work in football.