“He has a big personality for his age” - Real Madrid star praises Endrick following his record-breaking Champions League goal against Stuttgart
Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger heaped praise on Brazilian wonderkid Endrick after the latter's record-breaking Champions League goal against VfB Stuttgart. The German defender claimed that the 18-year-old is 'working very hard' to get used to European football.
Endrick's move to the Santiago Bernabeu was announced in December 2022, and the forward finally made the move official after turning 18 in July 2024. The transfer was reported to be worth €47.5 million.
Despite spending just 20 minutes on the pitch in five appearances off the bench this season, he has already bagged two goals. Endrick scored in the 96th minute in a 3-0 win over Real Valladolid in La Liga and in the 95th minute against Stuttgart to wrap up a 3-1 win for Los Blancos.
After Endrick made the surprising revelation that one of his footballing idols growing up was late Manchester United midfielder Bobby Charlton, he has been nicknamed 'Bobby' by his teammates.
Rudiger, who scored the go-ahead goal for Madrid against Stuttgart from a corner in the 83rd minute, had nothing but praise for 'Bobby' after the game. He said (via GOAL on X):
"If you score good, if you don't score then... problems. But this shows Bobby [Endrick] has a big personality for his age - he's working very hard, he's getting more confidence and is getting used to the game. Yes, we want more goals from Bobby."
On scoring, Endrick became the youngest player to score for Real Madrid in the Champions League (18 years, 58 days). He broke a 29-year-old record held by Raul, who scored when he was 18 years, three months and 21 days old.
With Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius and Rodrygo firing on all cylinders, it is likely that Endrick will continue to feature off the bench for the foreseeable future.
"He has courage" - Carlo Ancelotti praises Endrick's debut UCL goal for Real Madrid vs Stuttgart
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti lavished praise on Endrick after the youngster scored off the bench on his Champions League debut against VfB Stuttgart.
The Brazilian wonderkid took the ball from his own half and kept running at the opposition's defense. While he had options to pass the ball off, the young Brazilian decided to take the shot himself from 25 yards and his stinging strike nestled into the bottom right corner.
Speaking after the game, Ancelotti said (via Fabrizio Romano):
"Endrick has a gift... He has courage, quality. His shooting ability is something special. I was sure he was gonna score even in a short time, a few minutes. He’s special."
Up next, Real Madrid will take on Espanyol in La Liga on September 21.