Scoring a goal for your country is special. Scoring your first goal for your country before your 18th birthday is extra special. Now, becoming the youngest-ever goalscorer in the iconic Wembley Stadium’s history is extra special. Dear world, welcome to Brazilian Endrick.
At only 17, Brazilian wonder-kid Endrick scored on Saturday night at Wembley. The goal wasn’t anything special, taping it into an open net. Just like his national team and future club teammates Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior, Endrick is rapid. He has a great first step, and he darts past defenders with ease with a great first touch. Like every Brazilian prodigy, Endrick is an incredible dribbler.
In the past two years, Endrick has won two Brazilian Serie A titles with Palmeiras. In 2022 he played sparingly as a 15-year-old. Last season, he took off in the league. He scored 11 goals in 31 appearances. However, over two years and 1800-plus minutes, Endrick hasn’t registered a single assist. His expected assists are only at 2.9.
Endrick’s lack of assists may point to what his position will eventually be. He could end up being a striker who plays alone and gets in behind. The problem with this is he’s only 5-8. There are only a few strikers who have exceeded that height.
The Impending Real Madrid Problem
In December of 2022, Endrick’s move to Real Madrid was confirmed. He turns 18 in July, thus the move was delayed until the Summer of 2024. Endrick will be joining fellow Brazil teammates and also mega-superstar Kylian Mbappe. Will Endrick be a rotational player? How will Real Madrid nurture him? Is there any path for him to start if the players ahead of him are 25, 23 and 23?
The truth is someone is going to be left out. Starting four out-and-out attackers rarely works. All three players ahead of him (Mbappe, Rodrygo, and Vinicius) are all established in their positions. I don’t know if a position change for any of the front three is in the cards, but whoever Real Madrid’s manager is in the upcoming seasons will have a problem on their hands. Albeit a good problem to have.
Possible Solutions
It’s unfair to talk about a problem in society or sports today without talking about solutions. It’s not like any other aspect of our society talks about problems without at least offering up a solution. In terms of Endrick, one easy solution is that he is or becomes a better player than his three counterparts. Even though it’s early he still has more experience with the national team than Vini Jr. and Rodrygo did at this age. He certainly is a lot more hyped than both of them were at his age.
At least for next season, it seems Endrick will remain the odd man out next season. Real Madrid already rejected the idea that he stay at his current club Palmieras until the end of 2024. So it would seem like a summer loan wouldn’t make sense. If Endrick isn’t getting the minutes he wants and January comes around, it wouldn’t be out of the question to see him leave.
If he were to leave in January it wouldn’t be surprising to see him go to Borussia Dortmund. Both clubs have done deals before, most recently the transfer of Jude Bellingham. Endrick would be at a club that knows how to nurture young talent, which would be great for him. This is projecting a lot of things though.
One Has to Go?
There is a chance that one of Rodrygo, Vini Jr, or Endrick will not be at Real Madrid in five years. Vinicius has experienced a disgusting amount of racist abuse in Spain. This could drive him to look elsewhere which would allow Mbappe to slot in on the left and Endrick through the middle.
Rodrygo has never scored either double-digit goals or assists in a league season. Yet, he does have eight goals this season so it seems he could reach that. He has an insane release clause and wears the number 10 for Brazil. He is the logical choice to leave if you just look at the output and player profile.
Endrick’s Potential
Could Endrick score 40 goals a season? Could he score 30 for eight seasons in a row? It seems hard to put a number on him, but I guess that his potential is somewhere in between Antoine Griezmann and Robert Lewandowski. That looks like a player who leads his team in goals and is a big game player for both club and country.
Brazil has to win a World Cup with a front three of Vini Jr, Rodrygo, and Endrick. Anything less than that would be a failure. Endrick probably won’t reach his potential at Real Madrid. Sorry, Los Blancos fans but it’s true. With Mbappe in front of him, I expect Endrick to leave Madrid and head to England. He almost went to Chelsea over Real Madrid, but Chelsea owner Todd Boehly thought it was too much money (60 million euros).
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Featured Image: (Photo by Gabriel Aponte/Getty Images)
