Still just 18 years old, Endrick is admirably shouldering the expectation of playing for one of the … More
It’s become a little lost in the ongoing melodrama around Real Madrid: the Champions League humbling, the emotional outpour from late victories, and the uncertainty over Carlo Ancelotti’s future as head coach. Someone arguably more significant is Endrick.
The 18-year-old has sat on the fringes this season. In the last-gasp home win against Athletic Club on Sunday, the striker emerged from the bench to play almost 40 minutes, the most he’s enjoyed in a league fixture this season. However, the expressions on his face conveyed it was not so enjoyable—it’s been a campaign of stops rather than starts for the Brazilian.
Endrick, with one goal in La Liga and another in Europe, lags behind other talents in the pecking order. He’s just as well-suited to the center-forward role as Kylian Mbappé. Yet even with Los Blancos’ leading scorer out due to suspension, Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo started as a front pairing in the outing versus the Basques.
Real’s investment in Endrick, who officially arrived from Palmeiras in 2024, could hit €72 million ($82 million) with performance bonuses and taxes included, according to his former club’s youth coordinator Joao Paulo Sampaio last September. And it’s worth remembering he’s a project signing, one to evolve in an elite setup and set the world ablaze when ready.
But even with his six-year contract factored in, soccer moves fast. Players aren’t there to develop in labs and hit the ground running once the edges have smoothened. A lot of that comes from playing, and Endrick—unused in the Castilla side—would benefit from getting some rhythm soon. He’s also young and fearless, with fire in his belly, so this is an opportune moment for Real to count on him.
The Brazil international could be playing under a new coach in 2025/26.
Keeping humble and focusing on the long game, Endrick said earlier this month, “Here we have Vini, Mbappé, Jude (Bellingham) and Rodrygo—the four best players in the world. I’m no one. I’m here to work, and it’s not about who starts. I have to do my best and work hard to stay at Real Madrid my whole life.”
Except, there’s reason to suggest the Madrid challenge has arrived a tad too soon. Although he wouldn’t have expected to fulfil the role of Real’s protagonist from the off, any chance of starring for Brazil at the World Cup in 2026 hinges on him featuring regularly at the club level. Madrid might also be curious to see how Endrick fares on loan—a detour on the route to making him a superstar in white.
Since touching down in Madrid, links to other teams have been tenuous. Indeed, there’s no clear indication he will be making a name for himself elsewhere soon. Here is a potentially coming-of-age week for Endrick, too. He’s made the Copa del Rey his competition this season, scoring five goals in five appearances and, with Real’s penchant for climactic triumphs, could enter the frame and become the hero against arch-rival Barcelona in the final on Saturday.
If the prodigy helps salvage some silverware from Real Madrid’s underwhelming performance in 2024/25, he will prove a chess piece for the here and now, not just the years ahead, and at the continent’s grandest club.
