Real Madrid’s elimination from the Champions League against Arsenal was perhaps the bitterest day of their season. The Champions League, which defines Real’s greatness, once again became the main source of their failure. This defeat also had other consequences, especially for Kylian Mbappé. The French star was hit in two ways: being booed by the Bernabéu fans due to his poor performance in both matches against Arsenal, and an ankle sprain injury that has cast doubt on his participation in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona on April 26.

Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti has trusted young Endrick to fill Mbappé’s place in the attack against Athletic Bilbao, not only to secure points in La Liga but also to boost the morale of a team that is in poor spirits after their European exit.

Endrick has not earned this opportunity easily; he has proven himself with his performances. The 18-year-old, in his first season at Real, has played only 604 minutes, compared to Mbappé’s 4,082 minutes as the main striker. However, Endrick has scored 7 goals and is the team’s sixth top scorer (Mbappé leads with 33 goals). His scoring rate is one goal every 86 minutes, the best in the team, far ahead of Mbappé (one goal every 124 minutes), Vinícius (177 minutes per goal), Rodrygo (230), and Bellingham (289).