Real Madrid News
Real Madrid-bound Endrick chooses his pick between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Future Real Madrid forward Endrick has said that he idolises football icon Pele and while choosing between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, he picked the latter.
The 17-year-old forward was called up for the Brazil national team duty and he did, in fact, make his debut in the 1-2 loss against Colombia in the World Cup qualifiers.
Now, as Brazil prepare to take on Argentina at the iconic Maracana at home, the young forward has said that he is really looking forward to sharing the field with Messi to have the experience of a lifetime.
Endrick looking forward to playing against Messi
With Vinicius Jr. out injured, Endrick will hope to feature for Brazil against Argentina right from the start and while speaking ahead of the match, he was asked which player made him choose football, to which he said,
“For me Pele is O’Rei, there is no one who comes close to being compared to him. I just thank God that he existed and I was able to watch his clips,” he said, as quoted by UOL.
About Messi, he said that although he is a phenomenal player, he is more of a Ronaldo fan. Although he did say that he wants to enjoy playing against Messi.
“As for Messi, he is a phenomenal guy, he won the best in the world again this year. I just want to enjoy the moment of playing against him, being in the same stadium as him, a guy I only saw in video games.
“I’m more of a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo and Guilherme used to joke with me that Messi was the best. But it will be a wonderful experience to see Messi up close.”
It is not the first time that Endrick has spoken out about his admiration for Real Madrid and how it has always been his dream to play for Real Madrid.
“My dream since I was little, has always been to play for Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo is one of my biggest idols. So it is a great pride to know that I will wear the same shirt he wore,” he had said recently.
Endrick will be arriving at Real Madrid in July 2024, when he turns 18 years old, with the club having signed him in December 2022, in a deal worth around €60 million, including add-ons.
Nico Paz was long hyped as Real Madrid Castilla’s brightest upcoming star. The media constantly kept the spotlight on the young Argentine through pre-season as he made a strong impression under Carlo Ancelotti in preseason.
His breakthrough eventually arrived, courtesy of Real Madrid’s injury crisis. He has now made two appearances for the team in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League and even recorded his first goal for the club earlier this week against Napoli.
Taking his chances
As revealed by AS (h/t The Madrid Zone), Paz has impressed management with his cameo against Napoli and will be called up for Real Madrid’s clash against Granada tomorrow.
In fact, there is a good chance he sees significant game time on the night.
After all, Ancelotti is without the likes of Luka Modric, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga in the middle of the park.
With Toni Kroos, Dani Ceballos, Federico Valverde, and Jude Bellingham filling the starting spots, Paz serves as the manager’s first-choice backup off the bench.
Paz voices his elation
Paz’s introduction against Napoli changed the texture of the game, and it was only poetic that he got the goal that put Real Madrid ahead again on the night.
Speaking to the media after his special night, the Castilla star did not hold back on his emotions.
“This is a dream. For a moment I didn’t even believe it. Very happy to be able to help the team. I dared. I was in automatic mode, I didn’t even know what I was doing. I hit it and well.”
“This is also a message for the other youth players: it is possible to get there. Ancelotti congratulated me, and the whole staff. They are an incredible group and I want to thank them all,” he added, urging his Castilla teammates to keep pushing.
