Real Madrid youngster Endrick Felipe hit his first speed bump since arriving at the club on Tuesday, coming on for the final 20 minutes of the match. The Brazilian was booked, but managed to avoid a red card after kneeing Alaves defender Santiago Mourino where it hurts most.
Alaves coach Luis Garcia Plaza was dumbfounded that his side did not have a man advantage, and that VAR did not intervene, while manager Carlo Ancelotti claimed he did not see it. Endrick is aware that he was lucky not to be sent off though, say Marca, and has recognised as much to his close circle.
He will hold his hands up and assure that it will not happen again to his teammates and Ancelotti on Thursday, and has learned his lesson. He does not want to take any steps backwards in his Real Madrid career, and when it comes to fighting, it will purely be for the ball from now on. The 18-year-old’s capacity to listen and learn is highlighted as one of his standout qualities so far.
Outside of that incident, Real Madrid fans will be delighted with their latest Brazilian starlet. Endrick has two goals in his opening six appearances, amounting to just 47 minutes, and has also won a penalty, all of which off the bench. With Kylian Mbappe out of the Madrid derby on Sunday, Endrick stands a reasonable chance of being Ancelotti’s go-to if he needs to go more offensive.