Carlo Ancelotti was appointed Brazil national team head coach following his dismissal at Real Madrid at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
The Selecao have already qualified for the World Cup next year, with Ancelotti soon to announce the final squad for the competition.
The Brazilian team includes several players from Ancelotti’s former squad at Los Blancos, and now, the Italian manager has shared his opinion on Real Madrid star Endrick’s ‘progression.’
Ancelotti believes that Real Madrid’s competitive squad, which includes the likes of Rodrigo and Vinicius Junior, has affected Endrick’s growth as a player.
What did Carlo Ancelotti say about Real Madrid’s Endrick?
Endrick arrived at Santiago Bernabeu from his boyhood club Palmeiras in 2024 and was coached by Ancelotti for a season during which the 19-year-old received only eight starts in the 37 appearances he made across competitions.
Endrick did not feature in Brazil’s squad, which saw some key players rested for the final rounds of World Cup qualifying duty during the September international break. He was last picked in March.
While speaking to ESPN, Ancelotti recently addressed another of Brazil’s young talents, Estevao, who joined Chelsea this summer, and referred to the winger as a ‘very important player,’ with regards to ‘the future of the national team.’
“I really like Estevao, he’s young, he has personality, character. He started well in the Premier League, obviously Estevao, not only for this World Cup, but for the future of the national team, will be a very, very important player.”
Ancelotti then spoke about Endrick, mentioning that the Palmeiras graduate ‘didn’t play as well as he could’ due to the internal ‘competition’ in the Real Madrid squad, and added,
“Well, Endrick is like Estevao. He’s a great talent. I think Estevao was lucky. The problem with young people who go to Europe is that they have a leading role here, but not much of a leading role there. I coached Endrick for a year and really liked him as a person and as a professional.”
“And, obviously, he didn’t play as well as he could, because Real Madrid had Rodrigo, Vini; competition in a big team is important, and that can affect a player’s progression a little.”
Endrick is yet to make an appearance for Real Madrid this season after suffering a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury that he sustained last campaign. It remains to be seen if he makes it to Ancelotti’s squad for the World Cup.
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