Ahead of the new season, Real Madrid will be giving some of their players new numbers. The club already confirmed that Kylian Mbappe will be wearing the number 10 jersey after Luka Modric left this summer.
With Mbappe leaving the number nine open in the Real Madrid squad, many wonder which player the club will choose to wear it. The top choices are between Gonzalo Garcia and Endrick.
Many assumed Endrick to be the favorite to wear the number nine next season, but after the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, fans were indecisive. Fans and the club were impressed by Garcia, who scored four goals.
Garcia was the joint-top goalscorer of the competition, along with three other players: Marcos Leonardo, Serhou Guirassy, and Angel Di Maria.
With his impressive performances this summer, reports suggested that Real Madrid would reward the 21-year-old striker with the number nine jersey, but things have quickly changed.
Just less than two weeks before the start of the new La Liga season, Endrick will reportedly be given the number nine jersey. Mario Cortegana from The Athletic reports that Endrick is expected to wear the number ‘9’ jersey for next season, ahead of Gonzalo Garcia.
Endrick hasn’t had enough minutes under Carlo Ancelotti last season and didn’t play in the Club World Cup due to his hamstring injury.
Rumors suggested that the Brazilian striker was headed to Real Sociedad on loan, but the deal broke down, according to Arancha Rodriguez from Deportes Cope and Tiempo de Juego.
The 19-year-old is currently recovering from his injury. Endrick is expected to get more minutes with Xabi Alonso showcasing his trust in young players like Gonzalo Garcia this summer.
Endrick’s last appearance for Real Madrid was in the second-to-last La Liga matchday from last season, in a 2-0 win against Sevilla at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Endrick only played 58 minutes against Sevilla.
