‘Invisible’ Endrick sums up Real Madrid’s striker problems

Real Madrid have a striker problem, and nothing sums that up quite as well as the plight of Endrick.

Endrick hasn’t gotten on the field for the last four consecutive games, never going further than warming up as a sub. In all four of thse games Carlo Ancelotti has neglected to call on him.

As a result, Spanish daily paper AS reports that Endrick has become ‘invisible’ to Real Madrid. The issue, they say, began after Endrick’s first start for the club; the 1-0 Champions League loss to Lille.

Before then, Endrick had only had a handful of cameos, the largest of which was 21 minutes against Alaves (where Madrid went from 3-0 up and cruising to clinging to a 3-2 lead) but otherwise they had all been 10 minutes or less.

His first start did not go well, and Real Madrid lost the game. Since then Endrick hasn’t seen the field as Carlo Ancelotti prefers to use other, more experienced players.

18 year-old Brazilian Endrick joined Real Madrid this summer, although he was officially signed nearly two years ago in December 2022 when he, then 16 years-old, had played just a handful of times for his club Palmeiras.

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His life in Madrid started well. He had already become a meme for his comments about Sir Bobby Charlton being one of his heroes, before scoring on his La Liga debut, Champions League debut and even his debut with the Brazilian national team.

However, he was never given the full trust of Ancelotti who appeared more keen to ease him into things, even though he was the only genuine striker in the Real Madrid squad.

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Real Madrid’s dysfunctional attack

Now he is on the bench more permanently, as Ancelotti has switched to a 4-4-2 shape with Kylian Mbappé and Vini Jr. as dual forwards, leaving very little room for Endrick to play as he is a raw prospect, talented for sure, but nowhere near the polish Vini or Mbappé have.

And this, in many ways, perfectly sums up the disorganised chaos that is Real Madrid’s striker situation. Both Kylian Mbappé and Vini Jr. play better with a no. 9 (they also both play best off the left but one problem at a time), but Endrick is not yet good enough to be that no. 9.

Truth be told he looks like he is in desperate need of minutes but Madrid are, understandably, unable to give them to him because he is not good enough to justify them for a club the size and ambition of Real Madrid. They need to win every week and Endrick cannot guarantee that.

So Los Blancos have to muddy on without the striker they very badly need, having let Joselu depart this summer. Joselu was no world-class star but he was a very typical no. 9 and sometimes in football, that’s the only real thing you need.

Comparisons will undoubtedly be drawn to Vini Jr., who also joined Real Madrid as an 18 year-old and struggled early. But the key difference is there is not a spot into the team for Endrick to inhabit.

Vini was eased into the side and, for sure, struggled at first, but it was clear that left-wing spot vacated by Cristiano Ronaldo was his and it would only be a matter of time until he started there. And after January 2019, he was the starter and has been ever since, only being derailed by injury.

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There is no such spot for Endrick to walk into. There is a role for him to claim, that of no. 9, but until he is unquestionably good enough to play that role to a Champions League standard for 90 minutes, the spot will likely remain elusive.

Remember that Ancelotti has to find starting spots for Kylian Mbappé, Vini Jr. and Jude Bellingham. Then there’s Rodrygo and Fede Valverde to be considered as well. Endrick doesn’t have the heft to displace any of them and, for now at least, he doesn’t have the quality.

None of this should be read as a condemnation of Endrick, of course. He is a fantastic talent who will undoubtedly grow into his incredible ability and shine brightly for many years.

He just might need a loan out somewhere to get some minutes first.