Luka Modric will be leaving Real Madrid in a few weeks, following the conclusion of the Club World Cup. He won’t be returning to the Santiago Bernabeu to hear the cheers with the number 10 on his back. Those days are now behind us.
And with only a few matches left of the Croatian wearing the iconic shirt, Real Madrid have already decided on its next suitor, an obvious choice: Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe is clearly the most deserving of the number, and as things stand, he will be wearing the 10 starting next season. But what becomes of his current number 9? Real Madrid seem to have the answer ready for that as well.
According to Diario AS, with the 10 going to Mbappe, the number 9 is most likely set to be handed to Endrick. No Brazilian has worn that number at Madrid since Ronaldo Nazario, and it will be a heavy responsibility for the youngster to take on the historic shirt.
Real Madrid trusting Endrick with the 9 makes a statement, but raises questions
The number 9 has had legendary carriers at Los Blancos, Ronaldo Nazario, as mentioned, Cristiano Ronaldo for a brief period, and most recently, Karim Benzema, the Ballon d’Or winner and lone soldier in attack for many seasons.
The number is soaked in sweat, sacrifice, and all that it means to be a Real Madrid forward. Now, the possibility of handing it to Endrick sends a strong signal, but also reopens several questions.
Last season, Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti struggled to hand meaningful minutes to Endrick, despite the hype around his arrival. He is undoubtedly a proven talent in Brazil, but has found it difficult to break into the Spanish side regularly.
Even under Xabi Alonso, he has yet to start a game, with the manager clearly trusting Castilla graduate Gonzalo Garcia more for now. And with Madrid now considering handing Endrick the highly symbolic number 9, an uncomfortable question lingers: can Xabi provide the game time that such a shirt demands?
It would be hard to justify seeing the number 9 warming the bench week in, week out. That question will remain open, at least for the next few games under Xabi Alonso.