Arda Turan scored in his first season start for Turkish national team player Arda Guler, who made headlines earlier this week after stepping off with a knee injury against Eintracht Frankfurt. In the second half, goals came from Valverde, Diaz, and Endrick to seal Real Madrid’s victory.
After a goalless first half and in the heat here, Real Madrid took just five minutes to make their mark as Federico Valverde scored from the stripes after Guler had brought him down for a free-kick. Arda Guler—1 league start in 2020, on April 26 against Real Sociedad.
Injuries mean Guler waited 33 weeks to make his first start this season, but boy didn’t the live wire take it with both hands last night. The manager, Carlo Ancelotti, started him in this game despite the fact he had come on as a substitute last week against Mallorca (which we discussed earlier).
In the second half, Guler made three of Real Madrid’s clearest chances, but Brahim Diaz replaced him in the 69th minute and subsequently missed Dario Poveda, who came on to score just two minutes later. Diaz scored the club’s second goal in five minutes (88′).
Kylian Mbappé meanwhile lined up for his first outing in Real Madrid’s purple and white strip at Santiago Bernabéu. Even though Mbappé had been playing well, he failed to get on the scoresheet before being replaced by new Brazilian signing Endrick Felipe for the last four minutes.
Endrick, for an 18-year-old, had a brilliant debut, scoring one of the goals in remarkable fashion for Caulfield to convert into another with only five extra minutes remaining on added time and thus further sealing the win by making it 3-0.
Who is Endrick?
Born Endrick. Felipe Moreira de Sousa in 2006, the future star’s mother was homeless at periods throughout his childhood, thus he spent time in an orphanage.
However, his potential was obvious, and his father, who was once away from the family pursuing his football career, would upload films of his son’s goals to YouTube in the hopes of gaining interest from Brazilian clubs. Palmeiras approached me when I was eleven years old.
The club was so eager for him to join the team that they offered Endrick’s family an apartment and hired his father as a cleaner. He would go on to score 165 goals in 169 games for Palmeiras’ juvenile levels before making his professional debut at the age of 16 years, two months, and sixteen days.
Real Madrid announced two months after his debut that they had signed Endrick.
Endrick, a muscular left-footed striker with a keen eye for goal, has been compared to past Brazilian giants, as have many other bright young players. Kevin Hatchard, a European football specialist, described Endrick as a “bit of a pocket rocket” after his move to Madrid was announced.
The victory gave Real Madrid 4 points in the year after playing to a draw against Mallorca in Week One. Promoted side Valladolid, owned by former Real Madrid player Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima, also have 3 points having played the same number of games in their return to La Liga.
Endrick’s impressive debut for Real Madrid has set the stage for what promises to be an exciting journey with the Spanish giants. His skill, confidence, and composure showcased his potential to become a key player for the team. As fans celebrate his remarkable start, all eyes will be on this rising star to see how he continues to shine in the famous white jersey.
ALSO READ:
- U.S. Olympic Men’s Soccer Team Suffers 3-0 Defeat Against France
- Spain vs. Argentina in the Finalissima: what is it and when?
- Argentina and Messi Win Third Straight Copa America
