Real Madrid's Endrick Felipe escapes Red Card after punching opponent in Brazilian league: Video
FootballBrazilian Wonderkid Endrick Nearly Joined Chelsea but Deal Fell Through
- Future Real Madrid star Endrick was very near to joining another club first
- His father stated the 17-year-old was close to signing with an English team
- The Brazil international will join Real Madrid once he is of age next summer
Brazilian wonderkid, Endrick was close to signing with Chelsea, but a deal never materialised. He instead struck a deal with Real Madrid and will join the Spanish giants next summer.
The highly-rated Palmeiras star caught the eye of top European clubs and could have been wearing a blue jersey next season.
Endrick helped Palmeiras lift the Brazilian league a few weeks ago and even received his first call-up to the South American country's national team.
According to his father, Douglas Sousa, a transfer to Chelsea was 'all but done'. They even travelled to England to watch a game and meet several Chelsea players.
"We received an invitation from Chelsea, from the owner, and we went there to see the club and the country," Sousa told the Guardian.
However, Chelsea co-owner, Todd Boehly pulled out from the deal because they felt the price was too high.
"The agreement was closed. I had already thought that I would live in London with all that cold weather. But then, at night, my son's representative called and said that the owner of Chelsea withdrew from the deal because the price they would have to pay for Endrick would inflate the market."
The Spanish giants splashed €60 million last December to sign the youngster, a pre-agreement just like the one they did with Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo from Brazilian teams.
He recently surpassed Neymar's record for the most goals scored by a teenager in the Brazil top flight, per 90min.
Luis Suarez makes Endrick prediction
Xavi Hernandez praises defender for outstanding performance against Porto.
FootballMeanwhile, as Sports Brief previously reported, Luis Suarez recently heaped praise on Endrick, saying he will become a star in future.
The former Barcelona striker also added that he wished Endrick was joining his former team, Barcelona, instead of Real Madrid.
Endrick is highly rated by fans and pundits and is listed as part of the next generation of Brazilian superstars. He made 60 appearances for Palmeiras in the recently concluded season.
Endrick debuts ‘Golden’ boots in Brazil
Earlier, Sports Brief reported on Endrick marking his debut for Brazil by lacing up a pair of golden signature edition Tekela v4 boots from New Balance.
He came on as a substitute in the 72nd minute for Barcelona's Raphinha, but could not alter the fate of the Selecao in the match at the Maracana Stadium.
Despite his limited game time against Argentina during the qualifier match, it was Endrick's dazzling choice of footwear that truly caught fans' eyes.