Endrick's Return to Real Madrid: A New Beginning
Endrick is expected to pull on the Real Madrid shirt again today at the Santiago Bernabéu, against Rayo Vallecano. The stage is big, the moment symbolic. The path, anything but simple.
Nine months have passed since his last appearance for Madrid. That night, 17 December 2025 in Talavera de la Reina, nobody really wanted to be there. Nobody except Kylian Mbappé, chasing Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for goals in a calendar year, and dragging Madrid through a tricky Copa del Rey opener that ended 3-2.
By then, the cracks between the squad and Xabi Alonso were obvious. So was Endrick’s situation. He already knew he was on his way to Lyon, trying to stay in the World Cup picture and avoid being forgotten on the bench at the Bernabéu.
He left, he came back. But not much has changed for him.
A long wait, a short leash
Endrick’s physical condition now leaves him at the back of the attacking queue. The competition has sharpened. Mbappé is an immovable reference. Espai has forced his way into the conversation. And yet, one thing has been constant: José Mourinho insists Endrick still belongs in his project.
The Brazilian is on the verge of his first minutes of the season – Madrid’s sixth game. A vague, carefully managed muscle injury has kept him out until now, wrapped in mystery and caution.
Today’s clash with Rayo Vallecano could finally break that spell. Spanish outlet AS points to this as the day of his return. A return that will be measured, controlled, rationed.
The questions are obvious: what kind of Endrick will we see? And for how long?
Mourinho already set the boundaries before the Inter Milan match. No false expectations, no big promises.
“He is ready to play five or ten minutes at the most,” the Portuguese coach said.
Five minutes. Ten at most. Enough to feel the grass again, not enough to reclaim a throne.
So this is not about walking back into a starting role. It is about the first step on a long road: rebuilding fitness, finding rhythm, and then trying to elbow his way into an attack that has grown more crowded and more ruthless.
From Mbappé’s deputy to outsider
When Endrick was told he would return to Real Madrid, the script looked different. The plan was simple: back up Mbappé, give him breathers, offer Mourinho another reliable weapon up front.
Gonzalo’s expected departure seemed to clear more room. More minutes, more chances, more oxygen.
That window closed quickly. Mbappé, fresh from his World Cup triumph and obsessed with the Ballon d’Or, has pushed his body and his minutes to the limit. He wants everything: goals, records, trophies, spotlight. He leaves very little on the table.
At the same time, Espai has erupted as a serious option, a new solution who has shown he can add something different in the final third.
Endrick suddenly finds himself squeezed. On one side, Mbappé’s relentless ambition. On the other, Espai’s rise. The path he thought he was taking has turned into a steep climb.
Right flank, narrow opening
If Endrick has one trump card, it is his versatility. He can occupy more than one position in the attack, unlike Espai. That flexibility might be his lifeline.
But every door to the starting XI is jammed.
The right wing offers one potential route. It suits his qualities and gives Mourinho another way to use him. It is also one of the most contested areas of the pitch.
Even a 125-million-euro investment in Diomandé has not guaranteed that spot to anyone. Price tag or not, no one has a free pass.
Arda Güler has been the main occupant so far, starting three of the first four league rounds before missing the fifth game, against Inter, through suspension. He impressed whenever he played. Brahim, when called upon, responded as well.
Endrick’s versatility might open cracks of opportunity, but it does not clear the way. Not with this depth, not with this coach.
Mourinho’s bet
What Endrick does have is Mourinho’s faith. And that counts.
Offers have arrived. Tempting ones. Roma knocked on the door, among others. The answer was always the same: no. No loan, no sale.
“I received many offers, but I did not want to loan him out or sell him, because I admire him. He has great talent,” Mourinho said weeks ago.
That talent is what he wants to shape in Madrid, not somewhere else.
The challenge, though, is brutal. Endrick returns after a long absence to find an attack that has evolved without him, where every minute is fought for and nobody waits.
Rayo Vallecano, then, is not a grand comeback. It is a restart. A new beginning for a Brazilian striker who must now prove he can still matter in this Real Madrid.
Mourinho will handle him with extreme care. He wants to see what Endrick can offer after so long out, but without rushing, hoping that those brief minutes grow into something bigger, something that truly strengthens the team.
Five minutes. Maybe ten. That is all it might take to begin a new ascent.
The road is steeper. The competition is harsher. His place at Real Madrid is no longer assured. What he does still have is his coach’s conviction.
Between the expected return against Rayo, the unforgiving battle for places up front and Mourinho’s determination to refine his talent, Endrick walks into a new chapter that could shape his future in Madrid.
Now the question is simple: will those first few minutes be the start of a climb, or the beginning of the end of his Bernabéu dream?
