Wallygui 🇲🇦

🚨 Arda Guler on Endrick’s performance against Roma and the conversation they had before Real Madrid’s comeback: “I’m very happy for Endrick. People see the goal, the trophy, the celebrations. But they don’t see everything that happens before those moments. There have been matches where we both sat on the bench watching the game, waiting for the coach to call us. Sometimes you think you’re going to play, and then you realise there are only ten minutes left. I remember once asking him, ‘Doesn’t it frustrate you?’ He said, ‘Of course. I didn’t come to Madrid because I enjoy watching football.’ I started laughing. Then he said, ‘But when I get my chance, I don’t want to spend the first five minutes being angry about the last five matches.’ I thought that was a very good way of looking at it. Against Roma, we were losing 3–1. Everybody was frustrated. We knew we hadn’t played well enough. When we came on, there wasn’t time to start discussing everything that had gone wrong. We needed goals. I remember looking at Endrick and telling him, ‘Just get into the box. I’ll find you.’ He said, ‘You’d better.’ That’s how he is. Very confident. Then we had the corner. I put the ball in, he got his head to it, the goalkeeper saved it, and Carlos scored the rebound. Suddenly it was 3–2. I went over to Endrick and told him, ‘You see? I found you.’ He said, ‘Yes, but I didn’t score.’ So I told him, ‘Okay, next one. My next pass. Hang on.’ A few minutes later, we had another corner. I looked into the box and there he was again. This time he scored. And when he came towards me, I told him, ‘Now are you happy?’ He said, ‘One more.’ I said, ‘Endrick, we’re drawing 3–3. Can we celebrate this one first?’ But that’s what I love about him. He’s not satisfied because he’s finally scored a goal. He’s already thinking about how we can win the match. And then Antonio scored the winner. People will say Endrick changed the game, and he deserves that recognition. But I think what made me happiest was seeing him with the Player of the Match trophy afterwards. Because I know how much he wanted that moment. We are both young players at Real Madrid. We know there are great players in front of us, and we know nothing is guaranteed. Sometimes you have to wait. But waiting doesn’t mean you stop preparing. Last night Endrick got his opportunity, and now everybody is talking about him. Tomorrow we’ll go back to training, and I’ll probably have to listen to him telling me he should have scored two. That’s fine. As long as he remembers who put the ball on his head.”