Why Jude Bellingham Has Given ‘Bobby’ Nickname to Real Madrid Star Endrick
Indeed, after the UEFA Super Cup final – won by Los Blancos 2-0, with goals from Federico Valverde and Mbappe defeating Atalanta – the 18-year-old shared a celebratory image of himself with the trophy on Instagram. In the comments, Bellingham replied: “Vamos Bobby!!!”
The nickname isn’t just random though, but instead appears to be a reference to some past claims from the player.
Origin of Endrick’s “Bobby” Nickname
Related to his love of Sir Bobby Charlton
Back in March 2024, when playing against Bellingham with Brazil, the teenager netted his first-ever senior international goal, giving the Selecao a 1-0 victory at Wembley. Speaking after the match, he paid personal tribute to the 1966 Ballon d’Or winner:
“A guy who is an idol here is also Bobby Charlton. Playing in the stadium that Bobby played, scoring on the day Ronaldo debuted. These are very important memories for me.”
Not only that but when asked to name his top five favourite players of all time, Endrick once more referenced Charlton as a hero. He said: “Cristiano [Ronaldo], Bobby [Charlton], [Ferenc] Puskas, Vinicius [Jr] and Jude Bellingham.”
The comments caused a bit of a stir online with some questioning how someone so young could be inspired by a great who retired long before they were even born. His inclusion of teammates Bellingham and Vinicius Junior also raised eyebrows.
It seems quite likely that Endrick’s comments have made their way back to the Real Madrid dressing room, as such a new nickname has been born. It remains to be seen if “Bobby” sticks but it would have a pretty good origin story if so.
Endrick Yet to Make Competitive Real Madrid Debut
Spent UEFA Super Cup on the bench
Having arrived at Real Madrid from Palmeiras, there is great pressure on Endrick to hit the ground running in Spain. That said, the aforementioned arrival of Mbappe, will likely be the bigger story in the early stages of the season. The Frenchman scored on his debut in the UEFA Super Cup, while the Brazilian had to settle for a spot on the bench as an unused substitute.
It will be interesting to see how often the teenager plays in his debut season. Last term, fellow wonderkid Arda Guler was used sparingly, which suggests Endrick could be in for the same treatment. A look at his stats at Palmeiras, in comparison to Lamine Yamal at Barcelona, does suggest that the youngster is far from the finished article just yet, and may need a little while to adapt to life in Spain.
That said, the ambitious 18-year-old will likely be desperate to make his competitive debut for Los Blancos. He could get the chance to do so when Madrid take on Mallorca in La Liga on Sunday 18 August to kick off the domestic campaign for 2024/25.
