"Now, my head is in Real Madrid" - Endrick reacts as Brazil are knocked out of 2024 Copa America by Uruguay
Real Madrid forward Endrick Felipe has reacted to getting knocked out of Copa America with Brazil, as they lost on penalties to Uruguay on July 6. He won't be the only Los Blancos player out of the competition, as Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, and Eder Militao are also out.
Neither Brazil nor Uruguay were able to score a goal during the 90 minutes of their quarter-final clash. The Selecao seemed to have a better chance to do so late on, as Uruguay right-back Nahitan Nandez picked up a red card in the 74th minute. However, their advantage bore no fruits.
The game eventually went to penalties, where Eder Militao and Douglas Luiz failed to score for Brazil. Only Jose Gimenez missed for Uruguay, with La Celeste winning the shootout 4-2.
Now, the Brazilian players of Real Madrid will be making preparations to rejoin their club when pre-season starts. Although Endrick cannot join his teammates just yet, as he is still a minor and yet to turn 18 (until July 21), he is focusing on the Santiago Bernabeu. He explained (via Football Espana):
“Now I think about Real Madrid. It’s very difficult to talk about the match because unfortunately we were eliminated. But now, my head is in Madrid.”
Although he agreed on a move to Real Madrid nearly 18 months ago, the former Palmeiras forward will have to wait until he turns 18 to move to Spain. He will be hoping to start life with a spring in his step when he turns up in Valdebebas.
Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos writes farewell as he retires from football
Endrick might have signed for Madrid nearly two years ago, but he won't get the chance to play alongside legendary Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos. The 2014 World Cup winner announced his retirement ahead of the end of the season. He played his last game for Los Blancos in their 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League final.
The 34-year-old midfielder joined up with the Germany national team, helping them reach the quarter-finals of EURO 2024, where they lost to Spain. Afterwards, he took to Instagram to share a farewell post, officially retiring from football:
"So that's it. But before I take a break and at least try to realize what happened over the last 17 years I don’t want to miss the opportunity to say thank you to everyone accepting me how and who I am... And last but not least: Thank you Football! You beautiful game. And… you‘re welcome! Over and out."
In the lengthy farewell message, he also thanked the fans, the clubs he played for, his coaches, his teammates, his family, his wife, and his children. He notably made 114 caps for Germany while playing 754 games for different clubs at different levels across his career.