Brazilian wonderkid Endrick has had a tough start to life at Real Madrid (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
It’s been a tough start for Endrick at Real Madrid.
The Brazilian wonderkid has only played just over 100 minutes in LaLiga this season after joining the Spanish giants from Palmeiras last summer.
His most recent cameo against Valencia this weekend, where he played the final 13 minutes of a 2-1 loss, shows he has the potential to affect matches in the league, with his pace stretching Valencia’s defense. But those were his first LaLiga minutes since the start of March.
It’s a similar story in the Champions League, where he has played just over 100 minutes, with just six minutes of soccer so far in the knockout stages.
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti has given Endrick more of a chance in the Copa del Rey, where the forward has scored five goals in five games—the most by any player in the competition. But when it comes to LaLiga, he is behind Real Madrid’s superstars Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Rodrygo.
This has even led to speculation that Endrick might leave the Bernabeu this summer.
But the agent credited with discovering Endrick back in Brazil, Paulo Roca, says even leaving on loan would be the wrong move.
Earning His Place
Roca says to RG that Endrick “should stay at Real Madrid; only then will he get to know the Club better and gradually earn his place.”
When asked what Endrick should do to get more minutes, Roca says, “Endrick must strengthen his mind, understand that he is at the biggest Club in the world, with renowned and award-winning forwards with more experience than him.”
He says Endrick “must prepare himself as much as he can so that when he is called to be a starter or to have more minutes, he can perform well enough to be among the starting 11 more often!”
Spotting Endrick’s Potential
When Endrick was younger, he was already a massive talent—even from the age of ten. He would make a huge number of sprints in the game and could recover from those sprints much faster than other players. But Roca says other scouts thought his physicality and considerable power would eventually be matched by other players, so were skeptical about his future.
Endrick ended up becoming Palmeiras’ youngest-ever player and made 82 appearances at the Brazilian side, scoring 21 goals before making the move to Real Madrid. He’s also played 14 times for the Brazil national team and announced himself to the world by scoring against England at Wembley aged just 17 years old.
With such fast career growth, Endrick might still need some time to get used to European football, but Roca believes Real Madrid fans will be patient with him. He says, “Even with the few minutes on the field, he has scored 6 goals this season, he is adapting to the Club and in my opinion, he will perform much better next season, which will be his second!”
On whether Ancelotti is using Endrick correctly, Roca says, “Ancelotti is a wise coach who likes hierarchy. My impression is that he is preparing Endrick for the right moment.”
“It is up to Endrick to understand this whole process and prepare himself to be one of the 11 chosen by him!” Roca says.
One for the Future
But Roca backs Endrick to be important for the club in the future.
And as a top judge of potential talent who is credited with finding many of the players who have played in Brazil’s youth-level national teams, such as the Brazil under-17s, he says keep your eye on Vinicius Lima, a two-footed midfielder from Palmeiras with refined technique who is fast and dynamic.
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Steve Price is a freelance football journalist and regular contributor to Forbes.com. He has been on the International Sports Press Association’s shortlist for Best Column and has been on the Korean Football Association’s head coach hiring committee. Steve has reported from major tournaments like Euro 2024 and appeared on major outlets like the BBC and The Guardian. He has interviewed FIFA executives, Premier League players and international coaches among others.
