Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and more: Real Madrid bound Endrick builds his ultimate footballer

Real Madrid-bound Brazil starlet Endrick is closing in on his dream move to the Spanish giants from his boyhood club, Palmeiras. The teenager has been the center of attraction in recent weeks as he familiarises himself with what it means to be a Madridista.

Endrick enjoyed a brilliant season with Palmeiras, scoring 11 goals to help them win a second successive Brasileirao Serie A title. The 17-year-old striker made the trip to Madrid after the conclusion of the 2023 league season.

ESPN spoke with the phenom on a number of topics, including the players he considers to be the best. He was asked to build his perfect footballer using numerous criteria, including speed, strength, dribbling, intelligence, endurance, finishing, passing and mentality.

The youngster was clear on his choices for each of the criteria, selecting some of the world's best stars. He picked Kylian Mbappe for speed, Cristiano Ronaldo for strength, Vinicius Jr for dribbling and Luka Modric for intelligence.

Endrick also picked Jude Bellingham for his endurance, Toni Kroos for his passing, himself for finishing and Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira for mentality. The future Real Madrid star picked mostly his future teammates and football idols to make his perfect footballer.

The Palmeiras star was recently invited to the Brazil Olympics team for a tournament with some of his country's best U-20 players. The youngster will continue to be closely monitored by Real as he progresses until next July, when he will join the club officially.

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Real Madrid tie down Carlo Ancelotti

Over the last year, much has been made of the possibility of Carlo Ancelotti becoming the first foreign manager in the history of the Brazil national team. The Italian manager was a target for the Brazilian Football Federation, but he has committed to the Spanish club.

Ancelotti signed a contract extension with Real Madrid, which will keep him at the club until 2026, at least. The veteran manager has enjoyed great success working with Los Blancos and is now set to keep his position at the helm of their affairs.

One of the most iconic managers in modern football history, Ancelotti has helped many young stars reach their full potential, including Vinicius Jr at Real Madrid. Endrick will get a chance to work with the manager, and this will rub off positively on what happens for the rest of his career.