Brazilian wonderkid forward Andric has rejected comparisons to late Brazil legend Pele and has spoken about the pressure he has faced since agreeing to sign for Real Madrid.
Madrid announced in December that a deal had been reached to sign 16-year-old Andric from Palmeiras, with the player set to move to the Bernabeu when he turns 18 in July 2024.
– Stream on ESPN+: La Liga, Bundesliga, more (US)
The teenager has suffered form with his club, scoring his first goal in five months as a second-half substitute in Sunday’s 2-1 league defeat to Agua Santa.
“I have to keep working,” Endric told GQ’s Brazilian edition in an interview published Wednesday. “So what [Palmeiras coach] Abel Ferreira asked me. I am an adult, just like the other players on the team. Let no one feel sorry for me or put pressure on my head.”
Andric has made 12 appearances, eight starts, four substitute appearances and just one goal since being confirmed to move to Madrid for Palmeiras in the 2023 São Paulo state championship.
“I was aware of what people were saying about me. But not anymore,” Endrik said. “I love TikTok, but when I see something about me, I move on quickly.
“There’s a story out recently that I’ve been in therapy, but it’s a lie. The press doesn’t know what’s going on, and they report it. But I can’t do anything. If I come out and contradict what they say, I do it. spend all my time.”
Since making his first-team debut for Palmeiras last October at the age of 16, Andric has become one of Brazil’s most highly-rated young players, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the club’s history.
Madrid beat off competition from several of Europe’s top clubs to sign him, in a deal Palmeiras president Leila Pereira described as “the biggest deal in the history of Brazilian football”.
“Sometimes I ask myself: Why so many stories about me?” Andric said. “I didn’t ask for it. There are situations that cross a line. ‘Ah, he’s new.’ Man, nobody gets it, he’s the king of football.
“But I can’t do anything, I can’t tell people not to talk about my life. I’ve always said that I want all Brazilians to be around me, but I realize more and more that it’s not possible, there will always be people like that. who will attack me.”