Endrick ’s arrival at Real Madrid was worth the wait. It did not match the clamour for Kylian Mbappe on July 16, but around 60,000 fans were at the Santiago Bernabeu for his unveiling — more than 18 months after a deal was struck with Palmeiras to sign him. His signing for an initial €35million ($38m; £29m at current exchange rates) deal with a further €25m in possible variables was announced in December 2022 when Endrick was 16.
Regulations did not allow the forward to arrive in Spain until he was 18. Advertisement Finally in Madrid, Endrick took centre stage for the first time and could not hold back the tears. He was lost for words — as were his entire family, who watched him from the front row among almost a dozen members of his agency and club executives.
“I didn’t want to cry, but I’ve loved Real Madrid since I was a child and it has come from my soul,” he said. At that moment, he was not the great project of Brazilian football and the fourth-youngest debutant in their history: he was just Endrick, the son of Douglas and Cintia, a teenager who has fun playing football and suddenly the centre of attention in one of the biggest and most iconic stadiums in the world. It was his third visit to the Santiago Bernabeu, but for all the sentimentality it didn’t feel like it.
The first was in December 2023, a year after his signing, as the club’s guest at the Real Madrid hosted Villarreal in a La Liga match. The second came in March 2024 and was another ste.