Carlo Ancelotti has heaped praise on teenage wonderkid Endrick after he became the youngest Real Madrid player to score in the UEFA Champions League.

Madrid continued their dominant start to the 2024/25 campaign in their opening Champions League game against Stuttgart on Tuesday, recording a 3-1 win over the Bundesliga side. The inevitable Kylian Mbappe opened up the scoreline before Deniz Undav equalised, while Antonio Rudiger restored Madrid’s lead a few minutes from time.

In true Madrid style, Endrick made it three after firing home a brave strike from outside the box, five minutes after the regulation 90. The 18-year-old opted to shoot straight for the goal, rather than passing to Mbappe or Vinicius Junior either side of him.

“He has balls,” manager Ancelotti said of Endrick, via Diario AS, after the late win. “It was a counter attack and he had the courage to do it.

“I was worried before and during the match. I’m not worried anymore now. Endrick had courage in that last ball of the match. The best solution was to take advantage of the three against one, but he was convinced. He did it very well. It was the most complicated solution, but it worked out very well for him.

“He is capable of doing things that no one can think of. At least I didn’t think of that. He has the gift of being very effective. You can see that he has something special. And a very strong and very fast shot.”

Ancelotti also gave an assessment of his team’s overall performance, admitting that his side are ‘still trying to find the best version’ of themselves.

“The assessment is that we did not start well,” he added. “They were winning the duels. After 20 minutes we were in control, until the 60th minute. We could have killed the game in a couple of transitions. After the draw we had the strength to win a very important match. It is not easy. I have coached more than two hundred Champions League matches and I do not remember not suffering, ever.”

Madrid will return to action on Saturday when they host Espanyol. Their next Champions League fixture is set to come against Lille on 2 October.

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