Gonzalo Garcia vs. Endrick: Who Should Be Real Madrid’s Backup Striker? | OneFootball

Gonzalo García and Endrick are battling for a permanent place in Xabi Alonso’s new-look Real Madrid.

Real Madrid spent most of their 2024–25 season without a solid backup striker to provide a spark off the bench. Instead of turning to his young players, Carlo Ancelotti relied on his veterans to secure results across all competitions, which ultimately backfired.

While the likes of Arda Güler, Endrick and Gonzalo García were relegated to the bench or brief cameos, Real Madrid put together a poor campaign in which they failed to win a major trophy. The arrival of Alonso, though, gives the talented youngsters new opportunities to break into Los Blancos’ XI.

Güler seems to already have won his place in Alonso’s lineup while García and Endrick are competing to become Real Madrid’s backup striker. While the Brazilian has yet to feature under his new boss due to injury, García has produced moments of magic in the FIFA Club World Cup.

With the 2025–26 La Liga season rapidly approaching, Alonso will have to decide which of his two talented strikers will serve as Kylian Mbappé’s backup.

Gonzalo García Profile: The Real Madrid Castilla Product Seizing the Moment

Gonzalo García has been Real Madrid's best goalscorer at the Club World Cup. / IMAGO/Nicolo Campo

It might feel like García came out of nowhere, but the striker has been at Real Madrid since 2014. The Spaniard joined the club at age 10 and spent the next seven years rising through the ranks of Los Blancos’ youth academy before featuring for Real Madrid Castilla.

Under the leadership of club legend Raúl, García scored 30 goals in 73 appearances for Real Madrid Castilla. The forward’s impressive performances earned him two first team appearances under Ancelotti in the 2023–24 season, but he only featured for 17 minutes.

With so many injuries hitting Real Madrid in the 2024–25 season, García got another opportunity to break into the first team. The then 20-year-old announced his arrival with a stoppage-time winner at the Santiago Bernabéu against Leganés, sending Los Blancos through to the Copa del Rey semifinals.

García went on to make three more appearances in Ancelotti’s final campaign, bagging his first La Liga goal contribution along the way. His real breakthrough, though, came under Alonso at the Club World Cup, where he has started all four of Real Madrid’s matches so far and recorded three goals and one assist.

Endrick Profile: The Teenager Heralded As the Next Pelé

Endrick had an inconsistent debut season with Real Madrid. / IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

In 2022, Endrick became the latest Brazilian wonderkid to ink a deal with Real Madrid. The Spanish giants signed the Palmeiras forward at just 16 years old and then welcomed him to the Spanish capital upon his coming of age.

In the two years Endrick spent at the Brazilian outfit, he recorded 21 goals in 82 appearances. At 17 years and 246 days old, he also became the youngest goalscorer to ever find the back of the net in an international match at Wembley Stadium; the teenager buried Brazil’s winner against England in an international friendly back in March 2024.

Four months after the historic moment, Endrick officially joined Real Madrid and geared up for the 2024–25 season. He kicked off his career in a white shirt with a bang, scoring in both his La Liga and Champions League debuts.

What followed, though, was an underwhelming debut campaign that was marred by inconsistent minutes from former boss Ancelotti. The striker ended the season with just seven goals in 37 appearances across all competitions.

Gonzalo García vs. Endrick: Overall Real Madrid Statistics

Endrick had a debut season to forget for Real Madrid. / IMAGO/Alberto Gardin

The two young talents might not have large goalscoring numbers, but they have both produced in big moments for Real Madrid. Most recently, García sent Los Blancos through to the Club World Cup quarterfinals with his winner against Juventus. He also leads the team in scoring under Alonso.

Endrick, meanwhile, came up huge in Real Madrid’s run to the 2024–2025 Copa del Rey final. The teenager bagged a brace in stoppage time against Celta Vigo in the round of 16, found the back of the net against Leganés in the quarterfinals and scored two goals across two legs of the semifinals against Real Sociedad.

Endrick’s production in the Copa del Rey gives him the edge over García when it comes to goalscoring. The former Palmeiras forward has seven goals to his name compared to García’s four; Endrick does have 27 more appearances than the Real Madrid Castilla product, but 15 of those were for less than 10 minutes.

Goalscoring aside, García beats out Endrick when it comes to assists. The 21-year-old already set up two Real Madrid goals in his limited appearances while Endrick has yet to record a single assist in a white shirt.

Who Should Be Real Madrid’s Backup Striker?

Gonzalo García is the likeliest candidate to be Kylian Mbappé's backup. / IMAGO/Xinhua

It is nearly impossible to go against García after his mighty Club World Cup run. The Spaniard has recorded a goal contribution in each of his appearances in the United States, carrying Real Madrid through the tournament all while Mbappé was out.

Beyond his production up top, the striker is exactly what Real Madrid missed last season after bidding farewell to Joselu—a smart, decisive No. 9 who has a natural presence in the box, great positioning and an admirable work-rate off the ball. He also has the vision to create goals for his teammates instead of always looking to claim the moment for himself, something Endrick struggled with in his debut season.

Now, it goes without saying that Endrick’s raw talent and left foot outweighs García’s, but his small stature and lack of physicality makes him easy to defend. So many opponents this past season frustrated the striker by aggressively marking him in the final third, ultimately keeping him quiet in many of his outings.

Endrick also often had tunnel vision with the ball at his feet, shooting whenever he even had a slight opening. At times his selfishness paid off, but it mostly caused the Brazil international to either squander opportunities for his teammates around him or fruitlessly lose possession.

The future for Endrick is undoubtedly bright, but he still must develop his game to beat out García, who has already proven capable of helping Real Madrid fight for silverware.