Real Madrid have got a knack for not developing their own generational talents, but spotting them in corners of the world before turning them into stars - and it appears Endrick may well be next in line.

After a long-winded saga throughout 2022 involving the then-15-year-old and just about every major side in Europe, Real finally emerged as the winners of the race to sign Endrick in December.

It was agreed that the teenager would remain at Palmeiras until he turns 18, at which point he'll complete his move to Madrid in July 2024.

Dreamy, overwhelming and everything in between, it feels like the kid is living out the fantasy that just about every football fan grew up holding onto at one point.

For as dreamy as it might sound on the surface, though, it all becomes rather nauseating when you realise we're talking about a kid who wasn't even born when Jose Mourinho took charge of Chelsea in 2004.

Endrick will command a fee that could come to PS62million in total when he moves to Real, which is absurd. But when you see how he's taking the p*ss out in Brazil, suddenly it all seems to make a bit more sense.

Simply put, the 17-year-old is a complete freak of nature.

It feels too easy to compare him to Brazilian greats, but there are frightening parallels with one in particular.

From his ability to make a complete mockery of fully grown adult senior footballers across Brazil, in a notoriously tough league to crack, to his nosebleed-inducingly high ceiling that could very well see him develop into one of the very best.

He almost scored a goal that could well have been worthy of the Puskas Award - what would've probably been the first of many major honours in his career.

Real Madrid have a real gem. Ridiculous ceiling. pic.twitter.com/c0hPt44LQQ

- The Elastico (@the_elastico) October 8, 2023

Good grief. Seventeen years of age and he's more talented than all of us at Planet Football put together.

Inevitably, Endrick has been mercilessly compared to Pele ever since he burst onto the scene, which he batted away when speaking to Brazilian GQ in April: "Sometimes I ask myself: Why are there so many stories about me?"

"I didn't ask for this. There are situations that cross a line. 'Ah, he's the new Pele.' Man, nobody is going to be Pele, he's the king of football."

There's a very wise head on his shoulders despite his youth. We're not here to discuss that, though - we're here to discuss the absolute sh*t-pinger he unleashed above, which deserved to go in for the run he made to unleash it in the first place.

With the spatial awareness of a veteran, the confidence of a world heavyweight champion boxer, the technical ability of a genetic freak from Mars and physical attributes akin to Brock Lesnar, Endrick bulldozers his way towards goal with several opposition defenders left eating his dust.

Just as he approaches the box and the backline think they have a chance of turning around and stopping the teenager, he rifles an absolute thunderb*stard of the highest order off the crossbar.

Seriously, that shot looked like it could've pierced a hole through the moon.

We're not trying to pile any further pressure on the kid because, frankly, there's already enough of that. But just watching him burst his way through with that ruthless combination of power and skill felt very R9, purely in terms of style.

If Real nurture him properly, though, and he settles in Madrid, there's no reason why his ability can't take him towards the Ballon d'Or when the time is right.

By Mitch Wilks

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