While Vitor Roque is having a mixed start with FC Barcelona, Endrick, a new sensation in Brazilian football, will discover Real Madrid next summer. After a solid debut in the Seleção jersey, the Palmeiras striker had recently made his mark with Brazil. At the gathering in March, his sensational entrances brought everyone into agreement. Indeed, the young striker had achieved very successful performances at Wembley and at Santiago Bernabéu in front of his future audience. Coming into play during the two matches against England (1-1) and Spain (3-3), Endrick scored two goals. In Madrid as in São Paulo, everyone was eager to see the young prodigy again in major competitions like the national championship Serie A – Brasileirão and the Copa Libertadores in the Alviverde jersey. Unfortunately everything does not seem to be going as planned at the start of the season.
Even if the Paulista regional championship was a formality for Endrick and Palmeiras who won the trophy in the final against Santos, certain details give Real Madrid and the Brazilian club a cold sweat. Weak statistics, inefficient impact, too discreet performances… Endrick is not at the level that the Brazilian and Spanish press expected given what he displayed at the end of last season but especially with Brazil last March. The majority of observers expected to see a mature Endrick in Brazilian football, ready to conquer Europe in a few months. However, his recent outings on South American lawns leave something to be desired, especially last night in one of the most legendary posters in Brazil.
A poor performance in the derby!
Endrick experienced a dramatic evening during the match between Palmeiras and São Paulo, on the pitch of the Morumbí stadium to play the Clássico (0-0), during the 4th day of Série A. He played only 66 minutes, before leaving the field without being able to finish and with very slight participation in the team game despite his mobility and his constant attempts. At no point did he manage to be the main protagonist and failed to make an impact in the many free spaces during his position changes. In fact, he only touched 20 balls for a total of 11 ball losses. The young Palmeiras talent once again started on the left wing, as has already happened in some of his last matches, leaving the right side to Estevao. Confident in leading their team’s offense, both players had a very unhappy first half, especially for Endrick. The future Real Madrid player had great freedom of movement but was too discreet and even inefficient in the few opportunities offered during this meeting until his exit. This season, the Taguatinga native has scored just three goals in 15 games played, the majority as a starter, for a total of over 1,000 minutes.
After some big drops in form and images of the player in tears last season, Endrick seemed to acquire a certain regularity, or even too much self-confidence. Abel Ferreira, coach of Palmeiras, also gave him a boost: “Often praise is thrust upon us, it inflames our ego and we forget what brought us here. Honestly, like I said, I think he’s a very balanced child, an intelligent child, who studies. I think it’s fundamental. for him, whether here or at Real Madrid. He will have time to work, he will have time to learn and continue to study. I think that makes him the better man, which makes him the better player and, like I told you, being very careful is good. The praise is very good. He’s in a really good time. It has a small star, but there is false praise. The only thing I tell him is to maintain that focus, maintain that attitude.”. With the Olympic Games being played in Brazil and the big goals set by Palmeiras and Real Madrid for his final season in his native country, Endrick must quickly bounce back…
