The ‘menino prodigio’ from Palmeiras, who Madrid has signed for 35 ‘kilos’, has made two substitutions in a row and has not yet scored in 2023
Endrick, who accumulates 12 games in a row without scoring, has not been lined up in the quarterfinals and ‘semis’ of the Paulista Championship
Endrick doesn’t even play now. These are two consecutive games that he has watched from the bench coinciding with the qualifiers, a single match, of the Paulista Championship that Palmeiras, the main favorite for the title, is playing.
In principle, the substitution of the ‘menino prodígio’ of Verdao would not have much relevance considering that he is a 16-year-old player in the training phase. However, two factors must be taken into account: firstly, that Real Madrid signed the striker in December for 35 million euros, in a lightning operation in which they beat PSG, and secondly, since then , the ‘9’ lives a drought that lasts more than two months.
The reality is that since he signed his contract with the Merengue club, Endrick hasn’t seen the door. There are twelve official matches, between the final of the Supercopa do Brasil (which his team won 4-3 against Flamengo) and the commitments of the Paulista Championship, without having scored a single goal.
And the new phase, in this scoring blackout, is the decision made by his coach, the Portuguese Abel Ferreira, to give him rest. If the objective was to remove him from the spotlight and from the arena of pressure, he has not succeeded.
The red alert is already activated in Chamartín with the situation that Endrick is experiencing. And the director of international football, Juni Calafatwas in Sao Paulo the week before, he is going to meet the footballer and give him all the support of his future club, where he will end up in the summer of 2024 when he has reached the age of majority and can make the leap to European football.
Endrick’s team is already classified for the final of the Paulista Championship, after beating Ituano 1-0 (they had been the executioner of Corinthians in the quarterfinals). The other finalist will be the duel between Agua Santa (which got rid of Sao Paulo de Rogerio Ceni) and the Red Bull Bragantino that will be held this coming morning at Vila Belmiro, in Santos.