Real Madrid's 'next Pelé' wonderkid cries at packed Bernabéu but fans share same fear
Real Madrid's latest signing is the 18-year-old Endrick who even at his young age is drawing comparisons with the legend Pelé, leading some fans to question the amount of hype he's getting
The Brazilian wonderkid Endrick – Real Madrid’s most recent star signing – was brought to tears in front of a packed Bernabéu stadium today (July 27).
The 18-year-old was unveiled to 43,000 cheering fans present at the club’s stadium after he completed his eagerly-anticipated switch to the Spanish capital.
Endrick couldn’t hide his pride at joining the club of his dreams – he’s already spoken about how Real Madrid icon Cristiano Ronaldo was his hero growing up. “Since I was a kid I have always been a Real Madrid fan, and now I’m a Real Madrid player,” the new signing said, before kissing the club crest on his jersey alongside his father, Douglas Ramos.
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Earlier in the day Endrick had attended Real Madrid’s training facilities at Valdebebas, where he underwent medical examinations before officially signing his contract to join the club.
The talented lad made his international debut against Columbia in November 2023, and since then has drawn comparisons with Brazilian icon Pelé. "The next Pele. Generational talent," is just one of the many comments saying as much on social media today.
What hasn’t helped is Endrick’s constant social media posts which all feature pictures of the teenager in a “vintage aesthetic”.
In a TikTok post captioned ‘We’ve seen this before’ a series of images of Endrick and then Pelé were shown. Underneath, fans shared their worries that the prodigy may now be carrying too much expectations on his young shoulders.
READ MORE: Team GB flies in emergency chefs after Olympic athletes served 'raw meat' in food shortage“We’ve now given a player the hype of Pelé, it’s way too much,” wrote one concerned viewer.
A second wrote: "I hope he delivers and don’t sink in the pressure."
“Stop the hype…we haven’t watched [him] play good football,” said another.
However, not all fans were so negative, with one saying Endrick had a “Pelé aura”.
“I’m Brazilian,” said someone else. “We can only hope.”
Real Madrid themselves seemed to have bought into the hype, they agreed a deal to sign the forward Endrick from Palmeiras as early as December 2022.
Endrick couldn’t formally join until his 18th birthday on July 21, 2024, but now might get his first run out for the club against AC Milan next week in a pre-season friendly.
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