Better goals instead of kicks: Real’s hothead should just chill out

A kick against Marc Cucurella in March. A kick against Omar Alderete during the international break in September. A kick against Santiago Mouriño earlier this week. There is also a Tiktok video that is going viral under the title “Aggressive & Dirty Tackles”: Endrick is currently drawing attention to himself. But not just with goals and nice offensive moves.

The Brazilian seems to have another talent. Distribute kicks unnoticed, out of sight of the referees. Because in the scenes mentioned he was never sent off, if at all he was shown a yellow card. This was also the case in the Alavés LaLiga game. The ball wasn’t close and yet it kicked Santiago Mouriño between the legs.

For many observers the scene seemed clear; there should have been red. His coach Carlo Ancelotti said after the party that he had not seen the scene nor had it been replayed. The young Brazilian probably won’t have to fear any consequences. Because star striker Kylian Mbappé is initially out injured and will definitely be out for a few weeks and especially for the Madrilenian derby against Atlético.

The Royals will have to change their offensive. Endrick also has the opportunity to play from the start. So far he has only come on as a substitute against whom VfB Stuttgart scored his first CL goal. In the league he also celebrated a goal in the 3-0 win against Real Valladolid. A second one almost followed on Tuesday, but he only hit the crossbar.

“He is capable of things that no one can imagine,” enthused his coach after the goal in the premier class. With the goal he once again showed his talent and showed the courage to simply keep it up from a distance. Ancelotti emphasized that Endrick was very effective with his shooting technique. You would not only see this in the few minutes, but also in training.

Despite his young age, he already knows how to assert himself against his opponents and how to properly use his body, which is surprisingly robust for his age. This will also help him on the weekend. Because with Atlético, “the biggest group of bullies in the world” is waiting for the 18-year-old, as Thomas Müller once bought them.

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Diego Simeone and his players will also have noticed what actions the Real star has been drawn to in recent weeks and months. It cannot be ruled out that they will provoke, poke and insult him in order to upset him. Even in short missions, the Brazilian was carried away by kung fu actions.

What happens if he is on the field for over 90 minutes?

For him it is a chance to show whether he can keep calm in this extreme situation. He needs to control his temper, take a breather more often in stressful situations and maybe just chill out a little more if he’s going to be an option to start in the long term.

The footballing qualities are there, and no one is questioning that. But which coach would confidently start a player who regularly walks on the edge of the field?

Endrick also has to avoid fouls, but also not complain to the referee too often or quickly. Vínicius Jr., Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé and Rodrygo show how it doesn’t work. Ancelotti also noted this and warned his stars: “We have received a lot of yellow cards from protests in recent games and have to get used to the new rules. We must avoid protests – period.”

This applies not only to the Atlético game, but also to the coming weeks. There has recently been a trend in the Spanish league where offensive players tend to be provoked by fouls and as a result there is more complaining. The real stars in particular, including Vini Jr., are popular “victims”. But Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal also felt it against Villarreal. When the Catalans were already leading 5-1, he received several frustrating fouls.

Unfortunately, hothead Endrick has to be prepared for such actions and could be particularly hard-pressed by his opponents in the future in order to provoke outbursts. Above all, he has to develop mentally if he wants to become a serious candidate for the starting eleven and go viral again in the future with videos of his goals.