Endrick to Real Madrid: Why Los Blancos seem ready to spend so much on a Brazilian teenager

Real Madrid are widely reported to have won the race for Endrick, with the teenage sensation set to join him in 2024.

A host of clubs across Europe have been awarded an interest in the 16-year-old, although Los Blancos have apparently won the hunt - reportedly paying €72m for the privilege.

Such an eye-watering sum will no doubt attract attention, especially for a player who still has to wait at least two years before moving to the Spanish capital and has yet to reach double senior league appearances for Palmeiras.

Despite this, he has already made a strong impression. On October 7, Endrick became the first player born in 2006 to play a Brasileirao game, then just 20 days later a brace against Atletico Paranaense saw him become Palmeiras' youngest goalscorer, just 16 years and 96 days.

The performance earned him a first start on 7 November against Fortaleza, where he scored again, his record being three goals in seven matches at the Brasileirao.

In total, Endrick played 307 minutes of Serie A football, creating five chances, taking 14 shots (10 on target) and 73% passing accuracy.

Although such a small sample cannot paint a full picture of Endrick's talents, his numbers are impressive and Real Madrid know what they are looking for - having signed Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo in similar deals in America du Sud at 16 and 17 respectively.

Like Endrick, both players were unable to move to Europe until they reached the age of 18 and continued to develop in Brazil until then - Endrick's record being even more eye-catching by compared to his potential future teammates.

Rodrygo had the best record in front of goal, scoring nine times in Serie A, but had to wait a few months before his first goal for Santos after making his debut, which came at the Campeonato Paulista against Ponte Preta - although he only scored in his third Serie A appearance, while Endrick's first goal came in his fourth game.

Vinicius, who scored seven Serie A goals, faced a similar wait to open his account for Flamengo, who came to CONMEBOL Sudamericana against Palestino, and he had to wait until his 17th Serie A appearance for his first goal in the competition.

As a more central player, one would have expected a quicker return for Endrick but, given his age, his ability to integrate quickly into the first team paints an encouraging picture for years to come. coming to Santiago Bernabeu.

Given the difference in appearances between the three players, the Brazilian Serie A minutes-to-goal ratio is the fairest comparison between the trio, and it is Endrick (102 minutes) who does best, with Vinicius with a goal on average every 239 minutes and Rodrygo finding the net every 341 minutes on average.

Although he is yet to register his first assist in Serie A, Endrick averages a chance created every 61.4 minutes of football, ahead of Rodrygo on 68.2 minutes during his spell in Brazil and Vinicius at 83.8 minutes.

Most encouraging for Real Madrid, however, is the relationship the trio of compatriots can have, with a top three potentially establishing themselves internationally as well as at club level.

Endrick certainly has big boots to fill for Karim Benzema at Madrid and Neymar with the national team, but the early signs are overwhelmingly positive and Madrid have capitalized on this approach in the past with deals to sign the aforementioned compatriots. 'Endrick.

The signs are also good for Brazil, with the former Selecao international junior telling Stats Perform that he believes such a transfer will be rewarded for the national team, including the expectation of a sixth World Cup title extends.

“Endrick will definitely be a great player unless something really bad happens in his career,” he said.

"It's a defeat for Brazilian football, but on the other hand, I think we can win like Vinicius Jr. did. He matured at the club, and today he is serving the national team."