Real Madrid News
Real Madrid future star Endrick rejected Nike, Puma, and Adidas to sign with New Balance
ESPN Brazil has reported that future Real Madrid forward Endrick rejected contract offers from the likes of Nike, Puma and Adidas to sign with New Balance.
Last week, we reported that Endrick signed a deal until 2028 with New Balance with a renewed hope of being the brand’s face. For that, the influence of his mother was extremely crucial.
The footballer’s mother persuaded the 17-year-old with an argument that with New Balance, he would get to be the face of the brand as he would not have to compete with any established players.
Interestingly enough, all this was happening at the same time when was approached by other brands.
Why New Balance?
The future Real Madrid star had the opportunity to negotiate deals with well-established brands like Nike, Adidas, and Puma.
However, he and his team decided to stick with New Balance for various reasons.
The pivotal factor influencing the decision was the treatment accorded to the athlete by New Balance. Endrick’s family was very much impressed with the brand’s masterful handling of the player’s potential during the negotiation phase.
As a result, there exists the promising prospect that Endrick could emerge as the prominent star for the brand on the football field, a trajectory that would not unfold with other rival brands.
Why did he reject other brands?
Despite being the sports equipment supplier for his current team, Palmeiras, Puma attempted to engage with the rising star. However, Puma already boasts Neymar as a prominent figure in its roster of market partners.
The German manufacturers also failed to extend an offer for an exclusive line of shoes made specifically for Endrick, a special offering that set New Balance apart in the negotiation process.
Endrick considered potential partnerships with Nike and Adidas, but the assessment of the potential impact he could have with these two giants played a significant role in shaping the final decision.
The presence of numerous high-profile international figures already affiliated with Nike posed a challenge for Endrick to secure a prominent position within the brand.
This was exemplified by Nike’s recent contract renewal with Vinicius Jr., which successfully navigated a conflict arising from concerns related to the stature and representation within the company.
Real Madrid’s main goal heading into the summer transfer window was to wrap up the signing of Jude Bellingham amid massive interest from Premier League giants such as Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea.
Pep Guardiola’s City, especially, were ready to match and increase any salary Madrid offered, and were going strongly into the bidding war.
Eventually, Bellingham decided to join Madrid after they reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund for €3 million.
However, following this, los blancos had to improvise a fair bit as Karim Benzema decided to leave the club to join Al-Ittihad on a free transfer. They were expecting him to continue for another season, at least, and it stumped their plans in the market.
In the next few weeks, Madrid chased forwards, and ended up signing Joselu, Brahim Diaz, and a certain Arda Guler, who was close to Barcelona before eventually ending up at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Unfortunately for Madrid, he is yet to play a single minute for the club after picking up a serious injury in pre-season. Despite being on the bench for a couple of games, Guler suffered a relapse in training, and was sidelined again.
Now, reports from Yagiz Sabuncuoglu say that the Turkish international is close to returning to team training.
Guler has slowly, but surely, been recovering from his injury, and could take to the pitch for his first minutes with the club in the next few weeks as Madrid look for solutions after a month full of injuries.
With Vinicius Jr, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eder Militao, and Thibaut Courtois all out until early 2024, Madrid have relied on Castilla for reinforcements, but could do with Guler’s services in their forward line.
That said, Carlo Ancelotti and co. are expected to be extremely cautious when it comes to the Turkish international. The slightest spell of poor man-management here could make or break the youngster’s career.
