Endrick is yet to score a goal for Palmeiras' senior team in 2023 as his goalless streak has already reached 12 games.
The 16-year-old was a starter in most of these matches.
Although the streak looks worrying indeed, we shouldn't really blame Endrick for the lack of goals scored.
1️⃣ Firstly, Campeonato Paulista is not the most important competition in Brazil – this is the top-flight football league competition in Sao Paolo and is exclusive to clubs exactly from that region.
However, it is still the strongest regional competition as it includes such challenging teams as Sao Paulo, Santos, Internacional, Corinthians and Red Bull Bragantino. As you see in the pic above, Palmeiras generally don't score a lot against these teams.
Brazil's major competition - the Serie A - begins in mid-April and this is when Palmeiras are expected to do even better, being the reigning champions.
2️⃣ Secondly, Endrick seems more involved in what's happening on the pitch now.
When the teenager used to score goals in packs for Palmeiras' youth teams, he was mainly just a goalscorer. Now, he helps the team a lot in many other aspects – just like Karim Benzema usually does at Real Madrid.
💭 MrBernabeu (Reddit): "He plays his balls off, I should know because he was one of the best on the pitch against my team a few days ago. He does the striker and false-nine role masterfully, I really couldn't think of a better fit for Benzema's role for the future."
💭 jggomez14 (Reddit): "Honestly, he has been doing well with what is given to him, while he does have one of the best players of the Brasileirao with him on the attack, Dudu is usually a bit selfish on the ball and looks to score first (...) He also is a bit unlucky with his chances and the goalkeepers are doing phenomenal against Palmeiras.
"Endrick was Palmeiras' best attacking player against Corinthians and was making their left-back suffer all game long when he drifted wide; against Flamengo, he created 2 goals. The kid is doing fine, he's just not scoring."
💭 BernieBro4Real (Reddit): "He isn't scoring, but in almost every game he has played so far he has made a sprint or a dribble that completely throws the opposition defence off the rails. He actively participates in the game. He wins penalties. He shoots on target almost every chance he gets."
3️⃣ Finally, let's not forget he's just 16. He has plenty of time to master his game. And for Real Madrid, it is quite important that he is becoming a more complete forward - not just an attacker waiting for the ball to come to his feet.
