Confirmed: Real Madrid make decision on who will wear number nine shirt

In recent weeks, there has been a lot of discussions about who will be Real Madrid’s new number nine for the foreseeable future. Kylian Mbappe’s switch to the no.10 following Luka Modric’s departure has left the iconic number open, and the club has now made a decision on the matter.

There have been two candidates to take the shirt: Endrick Felipe and Gonzalo Garcia. The former had been expected to take it at some stage during his Real Madrid career, but the emergence of the latter in the last couple of months has thrown some doubt, especially considering that recent reports had claimed that the 21-year-old would be the winner of this race.

But it’s not the case. As reported by The Athletic, Real Madrid have decided that Endrick will be the club’s new number nine, with an announcement likely to take place ahead of the new season kicking off next weekend.

Endrick had been expected to leave Real Madrid this summer

Endrick getting the number nine is a rather stark turnaround in his situation. Earlier in the summer, it was widely reported that Real Madrid were looking to sort a move for him, with the plan being for Mbappe and Gonzalo to be the club’s two striker options for the upcoming 2025-26 campaign.

However, Endrick made it clear that he has no plans to leave Real Madrid on loan, and while this stance did not go down well among club officials, it has not stopped them from handing the Brazilian teenager the no.9 shirt.

🚨💣 BREAKING: Endrick is Real Madrid’s new #9. pic.twitter.com/jrkHM05fi2

— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) August 8, 2025

It remains to be seen how Endrick gets on during his second season at Real Madrid. He did relatively well during his limited minutes in the 2024-25 campaign, so he will be looking to kick on when he makes his return from injury in September or October.