Endrick and Gonzalo García are reportedly competing for Real Madrid’s No. 9 shirt, left vacant by Kylian Mbappé’s expected jersey switch.
Change has been constant at Real Madrid over the last few months. The club replaced Carlo Ancelotti with Xabi Alonso, signaling a new era in the Spanish capital that features the fresh faces of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen, Franco Mastantuono and Álvaro Carreras.
Los Blancos also bid farewell to another club legend in Luka Modrić after this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup. The Croatian surrendered the captain’s armband and his No. 10 shirt to begin a new chapter at AC Milan.
The transfer sets up another massive change hitting the club ahead of the 2025–26 season: squad numbers. Recent reports and even a big hint from the Frenchman himself all point to Mbappé inheriting Modrić’s No. 10, leaving his No. 9 shirt up for grabs.
According to AS, the two favorites for the shirt are youngsters Endrick and Gonzalo. Real Madrid originally saw the Brazilian as a “good fit” for the shirt, but Gonzalo’s emergence at the Club World Cup catapulted him into the running.
The Real Madrid Castilla product started all six games in the United States under Alonso, recording four goals and one assist. Gonzalo took home the Club World Cup Golden Boot for his exemplary job filling in for the sick Mbappé.
All the while, Endrick was sidelined with a hamstring injury. The 18-year-old had a frustrating debut campaign in a white shirt and struggled for consistent minutes. Still, he managed several eye-catching moments, especially in the Copa del Rey where he bagged five goals in six appearances.
As the only two natural strikers in Alonso’s squad, both Endrick and Gonzalo would fit the mold of the No. 9 shirt at Real Madrid. Yet the “heated” battle between the two players puts the club in a tricky position, forced to choose between the teenage sensation they once believed in or the breakout star that more-than proved his worth this summer.
Whichever player comes out on top will have the pressure of not only following Mbappé’s record-breaking season as Real Madrid’s No. 9, but also in the footsteps of club legends Alfredo Di Stéfano and Karim Benzema.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Two Real Madrid Stars Set to ‘Battle’ for Kylian Mbappe’s No. 9 Shirt.
