The future of the iconic number 9 shirt in Real Madrid’s first team is now settled: young Brazilian Endrick will wear that emblematic number this season, while academy product Gonzalo García will take the ‘16’, previously worn by Endrick. This decision was confirmed following Gonzalo’s contract renewal until June 2030 and the official update on the club’s website.

A New Era for Real Madrid’s Squad Numbers

With the arrival of Kylian Mbappé to the club and his choice to wear the number ‘10’, the historic number 9 became available, with two players vying for it: Endrick, who wore 16 during his first season, and Gonzalo García, who has impressed both in Castilla and with the first team.

The Brazilian joined Real Madrid from Palmeiras in December 2022 at just 16 years old and was promoted to the first team a year ago. In his debut season, he played 847 minutes across 37 games and scored seven goals—five of which came in just six Copa del Rey matches—adding one assist.

Meanwhile, Gonzalo García, 21 years old, has been part of the club’s youth system since he was 10 and has emerged as one of the club’s brightest prospects. He scored 25 goals for Castilla, becoming the top scorer in the Primera Federación, and came close to matching the historic record of 27 goals set by Mariano in 2015-2016. He also helped the Juvenil A team win the treble in 2022-2023 and the Copa del Rey Juvenil in 2021-2022.

Gonzalo made his first-team debut in a LaLiga EA Sports match against Cádiz in November 2023 and scored his first official goal in the 2024-2025 Copa del Rey quarterfinal against Leganés, a crucial goal that secured Madrid’s place in the semifinals. Later, he was called up by Xabi Alonso, the new Real Madrid coach, for the Club World Cup, where he started six matches, scored four goals, and provided an assist, earning the Golden Boot of the tournament.

With these performances and his recent contract extension to 2030, the choice of number ‘16’ for Gonzalo marks his solid integration into the first team, while Endrick, wearing number ‘9’, steps up as the new attacking reference for Madrid.

Thus, the shirt number debate is over, and the club is placing its faith in two young forwards who promise great excitement for the white fans in the coming seasons.