Real Madrid beats Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal, and Barcelona in the race to sign Endrick Felipe
He has just agreed to a €72 million deal to sign for Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 when he is 18, fending off interest from a host of other top European sides, but who is Endrick and what makes him so special?
Born on July 21 2006, in Brasilia the Federal capital of Brazil, into a humble background, as is common with most Brazilian footballers – it is even reported that he made a promise to his father that he will become a professional footballer so that he will lift his family out of poverty. Endrick Felipe Moreira de Sousa popularly known as Endrick is a name that has been reverberating on the lips of some of Europe’s biggest football sides all through the year. For starters, he is Left-footed, is primarily a striker but can operate and is adept at playing anywhere across the front line of attack as he has shown in his brief career.
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He joined Palmeiras as an eleven-year-old, progressing through the ranks as a youth player and in doing so scoring 165 goals in 169 matches. But it was earlier this year at the 2022 Sao Paulo Youth Cup, known as copinho, a competition contested by under-20 teams in Brazil that shot him into the international limelight after he scored seven goals in as many matches and was voted as player of the tournament.
Though slight in stature at 5ft 8in, he is already renowned for possessing a powerful shot and incredible physical strength for a 16-year-old, and this has led to comparisons being drawn to former Brazil stars such as Ronaldo, Romario and Adriano. But in spite of this, Endrick has admitted that his idol in the game is in fact the other Ronaldo (Cristiano). He was quoted earlier this year by the Spanish publication Marca as saying “Cristiano Ronaldo, is a spectacular man, a phenomenon. I have to follow his footsteps”. His talents have also been evident on the International stage, after playing and scoring for the Brazil under-16s against England.
With his performances getting widespread media attention, it was not long before Europe’s big clubs came calling and started circling around him. Premier League sides Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal have all at one time or the other been mentioned in connection to him, as have Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Other sides reported to have been linked with him and monitoring his progress include Paris Saint-Germain and German champions Bayern Munich. But it is La Liga giants Madrid who appear to have stolen a march on their rivals by winning the race for his signature, this is according to respected Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano who reported that an agreement has been reached by both parties in which he would join the club in July 2024.
His capture follows a recent playbook employed by the Spanish club for signing young Brazilian talent in the last few years which has proven immensely successful. Both Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo were signed for €45million and have since gone on to become superstars, helping Real Madrid to win the Champions League last season.
The former has seen his market value go up to €120million, which makes him the third most valuable player in the world, only behind Erling Haaland (Man City) and Kylian Mbappé (PSG). Rodrygo valued at €80million is not far behind as he is in the top 25 most valuable players in world football. They will be hoping that he becomes equally as successful as his compatriots and It would certainly not be preposterous to foretell that Endrick (currently worth €20 million) will be a part of this elite group of players in the near future.
