Endrick has disclosed that his mother vetoed his father’s wish to name him after a Real Madrid legend.
On July 21, when he turns 18, the Brazil international will formally join Real Madrid from Palmeiras.
In order to transfer the forward to the Bernabeu, Real concluded a €60 million agreement, of which €35 million had to be paid upfront. Add-ons have since triggered an increase in that cost to €46.5 million.
Given his quick development that has seen him establish himself as a regular member of the Brazil national team, Endrick is anticipated to be quickly assimilated into the Real first team squad upon his arrival, according to Spanish publication AS.
He joins a plethora of young Brazilian talent who have already made the switch to the Bernabeu, including Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Eder Militao.
One thing sets him apart from all of those names, though: he nearly had a real Madrid legend as his name.
Endrick was to be named after Alfredo Di Stefano
Endrick revealed to Marca last year that his father had planned for him to be named after Alfredo Di Stefano, who was perhaps the greatest player in world football during the 1950s and who captained Real Madrid to victory in each of the first five European Cups.
Di Stefano is an Argentinean native. Nevertheless, he was barred from international football for playing in many friendlies with a Colombian XI during player strikes in Argentina, therefore he only made six appearances for the national side.
The legendary player was granted Spanish citizenship in 1956 and went on to score 23 goals in 31 matches for the Spanish national team when FIFA overturned his ban from playing international football.
Endrick explained: “Real Madrid are a team I love. I grew up watching Real Madrid idols, and I went looking for more of the history.
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“My name was not going to be Endrick, it was going to be Di Stefano. But my mother refused.
“I also looked up to the Brazilians who have played there, like Ronaldo Nazario, Vinicius now, Rodrygo, Eder Militao. As I saw my idols playing there, as I saw the history of Real Madrid, I became even more interested.”
Even though he has stated that often, notably in a recent interview with L’Equipe, supporters aren’t entirely persuaded.
