On the face of it, young Brazilian striker Andric (16 years old) will join Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 for a small fortune. But just over a year after arriving in Europe, the Palmeiras player has been going through a period of scarcity that has already earned him criticism.
He is sixteen and already in the spotlight around the world: Andrique, a new nugget of Brazilian football pre-empted by Real Madrid, is already under fire for not scoring a single goal since the start of the Brazilian season in January.
“He has to deal with the pressure of the beast. He will score at the right time,” replied Abel Ferreira, his Portuguese coach at Palmeiras, visibly displeased with pressing questions from journalists about his young player’s lack of competence. “The only thing I ask of him is not to lose his smile. He’s only 16 and he has an extraordinary career ahead of him,” the coach said, trying to clear the field. It was February 23, and Andric had hid his face to cry on the bench after being taken off on the hour mark in a regional league match against Red Bull Bragantino (2-0 win).
His latest target dates back to early November
In December, this world footballer was bought by Real for 72 million euros, according to the Brazilian press, but to comply with FIFA regulations on international transfers, Andrique will have to stay in Palmeiras until he turns 18, in July 2024.
His last goal dates back almost five months ago, on November 2, against Fortaleza, on behalf of the Brazilian Championship, which he won with his training club Palmeiras. Since then, the prodigy has not yet scored a goal, while he has played twelve matches (731 minutes), of which nine are starts.
His season began on January 28, when Palmeiras won the Super Cup against Flamengo. He also played matches in the regional championship of the state of São Paulo. The National Championship doesn’t start until mid-April. “I’m trying to gain confidence, it’s not easy being in the pros, I have to adapt. I’m not afraid, I want to look forward,” he said after winning the Super Cup.
When Real announced his appointment on December 15, Andrick had only seven professional matches on his legs. His debut was rather promising, as he scored three goals when he had only made three starts, and played 306 minutes. But this is a far cry from the impressive stats he posted in the youth categories, with 161 goals scored in 188 matches, including friendlies.
