The Brazilian teenager made his Blancos bow in Chicago, but could not keep his new team from falling to defeat against the Rossoneri
On Wednesday night in Chicago, there were any number of stars that could have stolen the show. This was Real Madrid vs AC Milan, after all; two legendary clubs with so many big-ticket players… but which would step up?
Would it be Milan's U.S. men's national team stars? Would it be Real Madrid's fresh-faced Brazilian legend-in-the-making, Endric, who making his club debut? Would be be a veteran Ballon d'or winner Luka Modric?
Nope. In the end, the game's big moment came from a 17-year-old youngster and a back-up winger, although both will hope this performance helps them shed those titles and earn much more senior ones in the future.
Samuel Chukwueze scored the only goal in Milan's 1-0 win, leading the way for the Italian giants. The result wasn't totally unexpected as this was the Rossoneri's third pre-season game compared to Madrid's first and, from the start, it felt that way. Milan were the better of the two sides, earning their result.
Chukwueze wasn't the only one to shine, though. Milan youngster Matia Liberali is the one who teed him up, headlining what may just be a breakout performance. It could be argued that Liberali had the best game of all, despite his youth.
As for Madrid's young star, this wasn't the best day of Endrick's career. He had a few good moments, but also had a few tough ones, headlined by a series of fouls suffered. Bigger days are ahead for the Brazilian, particularly as he gets more comfortable with himself and his team-mates in these new surroundings.
The day belonged to Milan, though, and, having now topped Manchester City and Real Madrid in the space of a week, the Italian side is on the right path to start pre-season.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Solider Field…
GettyWINNER: Samuel Chukwueze
If still feels like he's Milan's odd-man-out in attack when Christian Pulisic, Rafael Leao and Alvaro Morata are all available, but Chukwueze certainly took his chance on Wednesday. After a relatively quiet first half, the Nigeria international broke through early in the second. With Milan on the counter, he ran onto a fantastic ball from Liberali and made no mistake, slotting his shot past Andriy Lunin for the only goal of the game.
That's how you make a statement to your new coach: goals. Chukwueze got his on Wednesday, showing Paulo Fonseca what he can bring to the attack. With reports suggesting Pulisic may be deployed as a No.10 this season, could a wing spot open up for the Nigerian? If so, this could be a breakout sophomore season at San Siro for the ex-Villarreal star.
AdvertisementLOSER: Madrid's homegrown youngsters
With the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham not part of Madrid's touring squad, pre-season offers the opportunity for some young, homegrown players to make an impression. On Wednesday, though, two of Los Blancos' brightest academy talents had their chance to shine ruined by injuries.
Nineteen-year-old midfielder Cesar Palacios was a regular for Real Madrid B last season and has featured for Spain's Under-20s. This pre-season is a big chance for him to prove his worth, but he lasted just six minutes on the pitch after coming on at half-time.
Twenty-year-old striker Alvaro Rodriguez, who also came on at the break, lasted a bit longer, over 30 minutes in fact, but he too limped off before the end.
An unlucky break for two players that will have dreamt of a much better night. Rodriguez, in particular, has wracked up 10 first-team appearances, although all but two of them were in 2022-23. This isn't what he needed to stake his claim ahead of this new campaign.
USA Today SportsWINNER: Endrick & Arda Guler
Neither Endrick nor Arda Guler set the world alight here. Neither really changed the game and both had some frustrating moments throughout their 45 minutes on the field. But there were glimpses of what the teenage duo can offer this season.
We'll start with Endrick, who was making his Madrid debut. In truth, he wasn't particularly spectacular, as he had just 13 touches in his 45 minutes. It did feel like he had his moments, though. The 18-year-old was fouled repeatedly, showing how dangerous he was, and he did create one chance.
As stated above, he wasn't exactly 'the next Pele', as he has been labelled around the world, but he did show aspects of what he can do. Given the fact that this was his first game and this is still a very new team to him, thing can and will get better.
As for Guler, how smooth is he? He dribbled past Ruben Loftus-Cheek with ease at one point and his set-pieces were dangerous. If someone can just get on the end of those, there are goals to be had. Guler looks ready for a real breakout this year, although you could argue he did that in the final weeks of 2023-24 after scoring six goals in his last seven La Liga outings of the campaign.
And so while Madrid are set to field the most star-studded forward line in Europe once the season starts proper, there is reason to believe that the two youngsters who will start on the bench can also make an impact.
GettyLOSER: The American fans
Milan's pair of Americans came on eventually and, to be fair, one made his mark. But even so, the fans wanted more of their home favourites.
Pulisic and Yunus Musah were both second-half substitutes, coming on in the 70th minute. Pulisic created several chances during his 20 minutes, which was great to see for the U.S. men's national team fans in attendance, but there were definitely many in the crowd that wanted to see him and Musah go at the world's best team.
In some ways, it makes sense as the two work their way back after a post-Copa America vacation. Even so, it can still be disappointing as, for many in attendance, they were the main attractions of the day.