What position does Endrick play? How will he fit into Ancelotti’s Real Madrid team?

Endrick is a center forward, but he is not a traditional number nine, the classic reference striker who pins down central defenders and lives in the penalty area. Far from it in fact.

Endrick: Real Madrid’s new threat

He is a modern number nine: with great ball control, a lot of mobility, and skill in exploiting space. In fact, his strength lies in attacking with space in front of him. He possesses impressive speed, astonishing in his ability to leave defenders behind with long balls and deep sprints. He shines when he can play a little away from the area and move in with freedom, without quite becoming a second striker.

At Real Madrid, he is generally expected to be a center forward. In the medium term, there is great hope that he will secure the position. In the short term, he will inevitably start on the bench. The forward positions are expected to be occupied by Mbappé and Vinicius, with Rodrygo (in a probable 4-3-3 formation) or Bellingham (if returning to a diamond formation) supporting them. But Endrick will come in to play as the leading forward. Although he has played as a winger in some matches and may continue to do so, that is not the current plan.

A goal every 219 minutes for teenage Endrick

He is a left-footed and relatively small player – at 5 feet, 8 inches (1.73 meters) tall. He does not stand out for his aerial game, but he has spectacular ground skills. He is an asset for teams that want a forward who can combine play, adept with the ball at his feet and comfortable dropping back to receive. Endrick leaves Brazil with a record of 21 goals in 82 matches (one every 219 minutes). These numbers are all the more impressive considering his tender age, only turning 18 on July 21.

Real Madrid welcomes a diamond in the rough, a player who is poised to become, one day, the starting number nine for the Brazilian national team.