Teenage sensation Endrick came off the bench to score for Brazil once again on Saturday, finding the back of the net with one of the last touches of the game to beat Mexico 3-2 while sending a message to his new club Real Madrid.
The 17-year-old has now scored in three consecutive games for his national side, after netting against England and Spain earlier this year as he continues to show fans why he’s worthy of all the hype that he has received over the past 12 months. Despite struggling with injuries in a slow start to his season in Brazil, the teenager has thrived on the international stage – and is set to join the La Liga giants on July 1.
Considered the most promising talent in world football alongside Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, it has emerged that Madrid have no plans to send him on loan when he joins the team – with him set to slot in right away alongside Vinicius Jr and the incoming Kylian Mbappe.
With both Mbappe and Endrick joining the team in July, Madrid might be getting the biggest influx of talent a team has in years – coming after their current squad won the Champions League final earlier this month – their second in three years.
And while all three players will be vying to start together next season, questions still remain on how they’ll fit in – all preferrably playing from the wing. Some expect Mbappe to be deployed from the right wing or centre forward spots, where Endrick could even be a back-up to him.
But the Brazilian has shown with his performances on the national stage that he’s ready to compete, and even play alongside Mbappe from his first year – insinuating that he could be the striker with the other two on the flanks, despite his short stature, standing at just 5’8″.
Endrick was handed Brazil’s iconic number 9 for the upcoming Copa America, with him already believing he can be used in the role moving forward, as he has in Brazil’s Serie A. He told reporters: “They say I’m too small to be a number 9, but it’s not a question of being small, it’s the positioning.”
Madrid snapped up Endrick 18 month ago, signing him from Palmeiras in December 2022 before agreeing he would join the club when he turns 18. The teenager will compete with Brazil in the Copa America, before having a few weeks and then moving to Spain to begin the 2024/25 season.
Many expect Endrick to be deployed from the right hand side in his first season, with Mbappe to be used centrally and Vinicius Jr staying on the left.
