Gonzalo García and Endrick are battling for a permanent place in Xabi Alonso’s new-look Real Madrid.
Real Madrid spent most of their 2024–25 season without a solid backup striker to provide a spark off the bench. Instead of turning to his young players, Carlo Ancelotti relied on his veterans to secure results across all competitions, which ultimately backfired.
While the likes of Arda Güler, Endrick and Gonzalo García were relegated to the bench or brief cameos, Real Madrid put together a poor campaign in which they failed to win a major trophy. The arrival of Alonso, though, gives the talented youngsters new opportunities to break into Los Blancos’ XI.
Güler seems to already have won his place in Alonso’s lineup while García and Endrick are competing to become Real Madrid’s backup striker. While the Brazilian has yet to feature under his new boss due to injury, García has produced moments of magic in the FIFA Club World Cup.
With the 2025–26 La Liga season rapidly approaching, Alonso will have to decide which of his two talented strikers will serve as Kylian Mbappé’s backup.






