After a year and a half of waiting, Endrick was finally presented as a Real Madrid player last month — bursting into tears as he spoke in front of 60,000 fans at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The 18-year-old Brazilian striker has played two friendly games since then — a 1-0 defeat against AC Milan and a 2-1 loss to Barcelona on Madrid’s pre-season tour of the United States — with a third against Chelsea tonight (Tuesday) in Charlotte, North Carolina.
He’s yet to score but has made a positive impression on head coach Carlo Ancelotti and his staff. One boardroom source — who, like all those cited in this article, asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships — describes him as a “phenomenon”.
This is the story of Endrick’s first few weeks at Madrid as he gets used to life as a galactico.
After the initial €35million (£30m; $38m) deal, with €25m in variables, to sign Endrick from Palmeiras was announced in December 2022 — he couldn’t join under international regulations until he turned 18 last month — one of the first times the coaching staff got to see him in the flesh was a March friendly between Spain and Brazil at the Bernabeu, organised to show support for Vinicius Junior after racist abuse he suffered in stadiums across the country.
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Carlo’s son and assistant Davide Ancelotti and technical assistant Francesco Mauri were there and were impressed by the youngster’s personality. Endrick came on at half-time and scored five minutes later in a feisty game ending 3-3, rising to the occasion in the stadium that would become his home.
This kind of performance showed why Endrick was seen as ready to play for the first team from day one, in contrast to his fellow Brazilians Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo when they joined Madrid.
Despite playing for Brazil in the Copa America, Endrick wanted to join up with his team-mates as soon as he turned 18 on July 21, but Madrid’s Brazilian players were not expected to join them until August 2, so the coaching staff gave Endrick a few more days’ rest until July 28, the day they travelled to the U.S.
The striker has had a personal fitness trainer on the sidelines who has kept a close eye on him while playing for Madrid. The coaching staff say his adaptation will be gradual and that he still has work to do.
Endrick in Madrid’s pre-season friendly against Milan (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
An early sign of that came on the first day of training in Chicago, when Endrick came face-to-face with Antonio Rudiger and was on the end of several strong challenges from the German defender. “Rudiger just said ‘welcome’ to him in training,” said Ancelotti with a smile.
It was clear from Madrid’s training sessions that were open to reporters that Endrick struggled in leading the press for his side and sometimes appeared absent-minded when he did not have the ball. Davide Ancelotti could be heard shouting “Calm down, Endrick, calm down!” when he saw the teenager running more than necessary.
But he also showed the impact he could make in front of goal, scoring several times in small-sided and 11-a-side training games. He received vocal support from his Brazil team-mate Eder Militao and general manager Jose Angel Sanchez turned around to give a knowing glance to chief scout Juni Calafat after one of Endrick’s goals at the University of Illinois, where Madrid were based. Calafat was the man behind Endrick’s signing.
“What I see is that he has something special,” Ancelotti said after Madrid’s first friendly against Milan, which Endrick started. “He’s very quick, he’s very powerful in tight spaces, he’s able to get to top speed in space, he’s very skilful on the edge of the box. He’s a great talent — it’s quite rare to see a player with these kinds of characteristics.”
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Endrick barely played 45 minutes of that game but put Milan’s back line under pressure while combining with Arda Guler, another of the club’s promising youngsters. In the first few days without his Brazil team-mates, Endrick was forced to open up to the dressing room, and Guler is one of the players he has got on best with on and off the pitch. The Brazilian shared a photo of the pair from the Milan game on Instagram with the caption “Ardazinhooo” in reference to the Turkish midfielder.
The striker then played 68 minutes of Madrid’s Clasico defeat in New Jersey, where he produced a shot that skimmed past Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s left-hand post and proved a handful at times for centre-back Inigo Martinez. It says a lot about the expectations on the teenager’s shoulders that he faced some criticism on social media for not scoring in those two opening friendlies.
The Brazilian gets off a shot against Barcelona (Ira L. Black/Getty Images)
“He’s not very tall, but you can give him a kick and he’ll still be standing,” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said in the mixed zone. “I knew Eden (Hazard) like that at Chelsea. And he has a lot of power in his shot. Maybe he needs to be a little bit calmer, but he’s going to find his team-mates and he’s going to get better and better.”
When the full-time whistle blew, Endrick went to greet another young Brazilian at Barcelona, Vitor Roque. In January, Barca brought forward the 19-year-old’s €30million signing from Athletico Paranaense, but his future is uncertain after a difficult six months. Madrid do not want Endrick to feel the pressure in the same way.
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“In training, he’s been more than competitive,” said Madrid coaching staff sources. “We have been able to see (good) details. But he has potential and, little by little, he will be released more.”
The board are also calm. When one source was asked by The Athletic about Endrick’s start, they replied: “Don’t you see him in training? He is a phenomenon.”
Endrick is expected to be a good fit for a dressing room full of Brazilians and other young players who share his enthusiasm. From a tactical perspective, Ancelotti made clear how he might use Endrick before his side’s final friendly against Chelsea.
“He is a centre-forward,” Ancelotti said. “Sometimes, I think he can play as a playmaker but his position on the pitch is quite clear. He is not a player with the profile of (Jude) Bellingham or Rodrygo who can play in different positions.”
Endrick at his Madrid presentation (Juan Carlos Rojas/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Endrick will not be a regular starter at first but will be given opportunities at the top of a 4-3-3 formation after Joselu’s exit this summer. Madrid want to be careful with their young players and did not risk Endrick and Guler too much in training for the Chelsea game as they both had “slight muscle overloads” according to the club.
But Madrid are already making the most of Endrick’s commercial potential. He was one of the main stars at an event at a downtown bar in Chicago where the team’s new away shirt was revealed. Before his Bernabeu presentation, he appeared at an event for his shoe sponsor New Balance.
Even reporters have been swept away by his popularity. As he left the MetLife Stadium after the Clasico, one Argentinian journalist handed him a microphone. Endrick told him he wasn’t allowed to speak, but the journalist insisted it was a gift, with the Brazilian taking it away with him while laughing.
Now Endrick may next face Chelsea, one of the clubs who hoped to sign him when he was at Palmeiras. The Brazilian even studied English in case he ended up playing in the Premier League, while his parents travelled to London to meet with club officials.
In the end, Endrick chose Madrid. And any early struggles are unlikely to faze a player who waited so long for his dream move.
(Top photo: Ira L. Black/Getty Images)
