Endrick returns to Real Madrid at a disadvantage after a goalless World Cup

The 2026 World Cup was not the stage Endrick needed. The striker returns to Madrid without finding the net in any match for Brazil, carrying in his luggage a wasted chance that became the symbol of the Seleção’s stumble – and now he will have to reinvent himself at a club where the competition shows no mercy.

An elimination that weighed more than the numbers show

In the round of 16 against Norway, Endrick came face to face with the goalkeeper after a precise pass from Vinícius Júnior. He missed. Brazil went out of the competition in that game, and that scene remained as the summary of a below-expectations campaign. No goals, no assists, little real impact in the decisive moments.

For an 18-year-old who arrived in European football with the status of a phenomenon, the World Cup could have been the big leap. It wasn’t. And the timing matters: the tournament coincided with a transition phase at the Spanish club, which changed coach and is now redrawing the internal hierarchies of the squad.

Pre-season as a mandatory fresh start

With José Mourinho in charge of Real Madrid, the scenario demands that every player show up and impose himself. There is no place guaranteed by reputation. Gonzalo García, a striker developed in the Merengue youth ranks, gained new life with the arrival of the Portuguese coach and will be assessed before any decision about his future. He competes directly for the very minutes Endrick needs to accumulate to grow within the group.

The assessment circulating around the club is clear: the Brazilian returns to square one in the battle for the attack. The pre-season will, in practice, be a new selection process. Whoever convinces Mourinho in the first weeks of work takes the lead in defining the squad for the 2026/27 season.

Lyon as an argument in his favour

There is, however, an important point on Endrick’s side. In the six months he spent on loan at Lyon, in France, the striker recorded eight goals and eight assists. Numbers that justified the early return to the Santiago Bernabéu and show that, when he has rhythm and confidence, he delivers. The problem is that the World Cup wore down the positive narrative that had been building.

Now it is a matter of rebuilding, and fast. In top-level football, short memories work against those who stumble – but also in favour of those who recover quickly. Pre-season starts soon. Endrick knows what is at stake.