It was reported that Kylian Mbappe will inherit the number 9 jersey at Real Madrid. The iconic jersey, once used by former club captain and Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema, will reach another Frenchman once Mbappe makes his switch from PSG to Real official this summer.
Meanwhile, noted journalist Fabrizio Romano quoted Endrick Felipe as telling The Players' Tribune that veteran Real star Luka Modric hinted at the number 9 shirt going to the young Brazilian.
Los Blancos prodigy Endrick announced his arrival in the league of big boys on Saturday when he scored his first goal for the senior team against England at Wembley. Endrick, 17, was signed from Palmeiras by the Spanish giants for a transfer fee worth nearly 60 million euros ($64 million). Following his success with the national team, the Brazil wonderkid was seen celebrating alongside Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr -- his teammates at the Spanish capital.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Modric told Endrick that they may sit next to each other in the Real Madrid locker room next season. The influential Croatian midfielder dons the number 10 jersey for Real, and he hinted that Endrick is likely to get number 9 -- a shirt usually worn by strikers.
"Endrick: “Modric told me: number 9 and number 10! Who knows… next season, maybe you’ll sit next to me”. “That really attached to my heart, incredible”. “I thought: man, if Modrić believes I am worthy to wear the number 9… then I must be worthy!”", Romano quoted Endrick as saying the media.
However, if everything goes as planned and Mbappe does land at the Bernabeu, the 25-year-old is likely to get the iconic shirt over the much younger South American. Endrick has a fair chance of winning the shirt if Modric calls it a day and the club is forced to look for a new taker for the number 10 shirt. Mbappe wears the number 10 jersey for France. But if that happens to be the case, Endrick's dream of playing alongside the Ballon d'Or winner may never happen.
Multiple reports have claimed over the weeks that Mbappe is heading to Real Madrid -- the club he has been long linked with. While there have been no official confirmations on the switch, none are suggesting otherwise either.
At Wembley, meanwhile, Endrick pounced on a rebound and coolly slotted home the winner in the dying minutes of the game. The record books will show a 1-0 scoreline, but the match carried far greater significance. It marked the dawning of a new era for Brazilian football, with Endrick leading the charge as the embodiment of hope and renewal. His meteoric rise had already captured the imagination of fans worldwide but this goal on English soil stamped his credentials as the heir apparent to Brazil's rich legacy of legendary strikers.