"I would watch Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid winning the Champions League" - Endrick says he feels natural connection with Los Blancos
Palmeiras' Real Madrid-bound striker Endrick has said that he has grown up watching Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid winning the UEFA Champions League.
The soon-to-be 18-year-old is set to arrive at Los Blancos in the summer after he turns 18. Considered one of the brightest young talents in South American football, Endrick will arrive at the Santiago Bernabeu as a Brasileiro Serie A champion.
The teenager played a starring role in Palmeiras' sensational triumph, especially in the final 11 games. With Botafogo squandering a seemingly insurmountable 13-point lead and finishing fifth, going winless in their final 10 games, Palmeiras won eight of their final 11 games.
Endrick, who scored twice in the 4-3 win over Botafogo and the 1-1 draw at Cruzeiro, has said that he feels a natural 'connection' with Los Blancos (via GOAL):
"I grew up with two dreams. I watched the Brazilian League and the Copa Libertadores, and so I really wanted to make my mark in Brazil first. But moving to a big European club was something I had always dreamt about.
"I would watch Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid winning the Champions League, it was something natural to feel a connection with the club."
Endrick still has six months with Palmeiras before he moves to Europe in the summer.
How Cristiano Ronaldo fared with Real Madrid in the Champions League
Cristiano Ronaldo is a bonafide Real Madrid legend, bagging a club-record 450 goals in 438 games across competitions in nine seasons between 2009 and 2018.
That includes an impressive 105 goals and 31 assists in 101 games across competitions. The Al-Nassr captain scored at least 10 goals in all but his first two seasons in Madrid.
That includes a competition-record haul of 17 goals in Los Blancos' 'La Decima' triumph in 2013-14. Ronaldo and Madrid would go on to win an unprecedented three-peat in the Champions League, winning the 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 titles.
The last triumph made Ronaldo the first player to win the competition five times. With 140 goals (in 183 games), the Portugal captain is the all-time Champions League top-scorer.