José Mourinho is back at Real Madrid, and the football world immediately has opinions again. Good. That's how it should be.
A 2-2 draw with Fiorentina in a preseason friendly won't tell us everything about where this Madrid project is heading, but it told us enough to get the conversation started — and the most important thing it told us is that Endrick is absolutely not done making his case.
Mourinho Back in the Dugout
Say what you like about the appointment — and plenty of people have — but there is no denying that Mourinho returning to the club where he spent three turbulent, trophy-laden years generates a kind of heat that very few managers can still produce. Saturday's friendly against Fiorentina was his first game back in the Madrid dugout, and the result was the kind of thing that happens in preseason: messy, inconclusive, and somehow still talked about more than it deserves to be purely because of who's standing on the touchline.
A draw is a draw. It means nothing in July. But the manner and the personnel involved? That's where it gets interesting.
Endrick Won't Let Anyone Ignore Him
While the tactical questions about Mourinho's approach will run all summer, the player who actually demanded attention on the pitch was Endrick. The young Brazilian got on the scoresheet, and by all accounts impressed rather than just turned up. That matters, because Endrick has been one of those players who exists in a permanent state of being doubted despite the evidence. He scored, he showed up in Mourinho's first game — that's a statement made in the only language that counts.
There's a broader point here too. European football right now is full of teenage attackers making bold moves and backing them up immediately. [Barça signed teen winger Bisiwu from Club Brugge](/getohedz/football/bara-sign-teen-winger-bisiwu-from-club-brugge) and are betting heavily on young attacking talent reshaping their front line. Madrid already have their answer to that trend, and his name has been on the scoresheet in game one of the new era.
For context on how clubs are thinking about the next generation of midfield talent too, [City want Bouaddi even if Rodri stays](/getohedz/football/sources-city-want-bouaddi-even-if-rodri-stays) — the appetite for elite young players at the biggest clubs isn't slowing down. Endrick sits squarely in that conversation.
Our Take
Mourinho's return to Madrid was always going to be theatre. A preseason draw against Fiorentina doesn't change that, but it does give us two things worth holding onto: first, that the football won't be boring with him in charge, for better or worse; second, that Endrick looks ready to be a proper part of this team rather than a name that gets mentioned and quietly benched.
We're not crowning anyone based on a July friendly. But we're also not pretending Endrick's start didn't mean something. Players who score in their manager's first game tend to start the first competitive fixture too. Watch this space.