Mourinho insists Endrick was never for sale: 'He has significant talent'
Mourinho insists Endrick was never for sale: 'He has significant talent'
Jose Mourinho has revealed he personally blocked attempts to loan or sell Endrick this summer, insisting the 20-year-old Brazilian has “significant talent” and a key role to play at Real Madrid this season.
Endrick was heavily linked with another loan move away from Los Blancos in the current transfer window after spending the second half of the 2025-26 campaign with Lyon. But the Madrid boss made clear the teenager was always staying put.
“He’s a player I really like. He’s had so many, many contacts with other clubs. I didn’t want to loan him out or sell him. I didn’t want him to leave because I like this player so much; he has significant talent,” Mourinho said.
Brazil call-up on the horizon
The Portuguese went further, predicting an international breakthrough in the near future for the forward, who has scored just seven goals in 40 appearances for Madrid but directly contributed to 16 goals (eight goals, eight assists) in 21 games for Lyon last term.
“I’m sure he’ll be in Carlo Ancelotti’s first [Brazil] squad. He’ll call me directly,” Mourinho added.
Endrick is set to miss Madrid’s upcoming LaLiga clash with a precautionary injury, having also missed the opening-day 2-1 win over Espanyol — a game settled by a late winner from Carlos Espi.
Frontline options with Mbappe
Mourinho believes both Endrick and Espi can complement Kylian Mbappe in the Madrid frontline, pointing to their differing profiles as an asset.
“We can see them together, or with Endrick. Carlos has a different profile; he was perfect for how the match against Espanyol was going. I thought Carlos could be important at that moment to suffocate the opponent,” Mourinho said when asked whether Mbappe and Espi could work together.
Preview: Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad
Madrid host La Real on Wednesday looking to make it two wins from two to start the league season — something they have achieved in four of the last five campaigns, only failing in 2024-25.
The numbers favour Mourinho’s side: Madrid have won their last six LaLiga matches against La Real, their best winning streak in the fixture since February 2018, while Mourinho is unbeaten in six league meetings with them (W5 D1). Visitors Real Sociedad, meanwhile, are winless in nine LaLiga matches (D5 L4) and began their campaign with a 1-0 defeat away to Real Betis.
Players to watch
Kylian Mbappe has scored four goals in three LaLiga appearances against La Real — only against Villarreal (five) has he been more prolific in the competition. Real Sociedad captain Mikel Oyarzabal has netted three goals in 19 league games versus Madrid, all from the penalty spot — Madrid are the opponent he has faced most in the competition without scoring a non-penalty goal (19 games).
Match prediction
OPTA win probability: Real Madrid 65.8%, draw 18.9%, Real Sociedad 15.3%. The prediction points to a home victory.