Brazil has produced so many world-class talents in the past and continues to do so now. Another name that is listed in the category of becoming a top player in the future is Endrick Felipe of Palmeiras FC. Many big clubs in Europe are planning to try to sign him in the summer. One of the strongest rumours that have broken out is that Spanish giants Real Madrid wants to sign the Brazilian prodigy. The defending champions of La Liga have signed many other Brazilians in the past and if they manage to close this deal, it would be a signing to look out for in the future. We look at some stats to understand why Real Madrid is going all out for a 16-year-old player.
The above visual shows the percentile rank of Endrick Felipe compared to other centre-forwards in Brazil’s Serie A. He plays for Palmeiras in the Brazilian Serie A and has scored a total of nine goals in different competitions. The above visual shows the percentile rank of Endrick compared to other centre-forwards in the Serie A-1 league. He is ranked in the top 96.1 percentile for shots per game and the top 97.4 percentile for entries into the opposition’s penalty area. He has fantastic attacking stats and is also ranked in the top 95.45 percentile for goal contributions per game too. Another area where he does well is in duels, where he is ranked in the top 67.5 percentile, which is above average.
Endrick is regarded as a goal-scoring machine, and rightly so. He has scored nine goals in different competitions this year and has scored one from a spot kick as well. The above visual shows his xG map. We can observe that he has attempted a total of 52 shots, out of which 36 were from inside the penalty box. Moreover, he has attempted 24 shots on target as well. Since he plays from a central position, he has a high accumulated xG and has managed to exceed his xG as well. He has a killer instinct in front of the goal and looks dangerous almost every time he picks up the ball in the attacking third.
Another quality of Endrick’s worth noticing is his dribbling skills. He is capable of dribbling the ball from a deep position and unleashing a shot as well. The youngster’s dribbling stats are impressive for his age. He makes an average of 5.17 dribbles per game with a 48.9% success rate. The above visual shows the penetrating carries made by Endrick Felipe across different competitions this year. We can observe how he collects the ball in midfield and runs forward with the ball at his feet. These dribbles could help Real Madrid in the future if they sign him, as the opposition defenders will have yet another dribbler to stop apart from Vinicius Jr from the left flank.
Endrick Felipe stays forward and helps the team recover the ball in high, dangerous areas. While these stats are not as good as other Real Madrid players, we can cut him some slack considering his age. His work rate is really impressive for a 16-year-old, and he tries hard to win balls in dangerous positions as well. The above visual shows the high regains made by Endrick Felipe. Of these regains, eight are counter-pressing recoveries and five are dangerous recoveries. We can observe from the map that he is a dangerous player in the attacking third and wins the ball in dangerous areas, which might lead to shots.
Still unpolished, Real Madrid will have to do a lot of work to turn Endrick into a player who will match his hype at the highest level. But with such oozing potential and with the players Real Madrid have managed to bring up successfully in the past, it won’t be surprising if the Brazilian “wonderkid” becomes the next big thing in La Liga in the next decade.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
