In less than a week, Endrick's life at Real Madrid has been turned upside down. The Brazilian went from a player who failed to convince Jose Mourinho and found himself cast aside on the bench to a name who could play a pivotal role in the biggest match of the season against Barcelona.
His transformation came after Real Madrid's emphatic 4-1 win over Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu, the first match without Vinicius, suspended for pulling Saliba's hair against Villarreal.
That night belonged to others too. Ivorian Diomande stole Bernabeu hearts with a superb goal, and Turkey's Arda Guler dazzled to confirm his right to a starting place. It also gave Endrick a fresh launching point as he began to win back the coaching staff's confidence.
Weeks earlier, he had sat completely outside Mourinho's plans. According to Spanish radio "Cadena SER", the young striker has pushed himself forward strongly as a surprise attacking option for the Clasico. Vinicius's absence and the uncertainty up front have turned him from a marginal figure into a potential trump card.
The prospect has split Spain's leading analysts. Trusted journalist Javier Herraiz reckons Mourinho could head to the Camp Nou with the same starting line-up that crushed Sevilla, handing Endrick a bigger role as a strategic substitute capable of exploiting spaces. Anton Meana and Antonio Romero call that idea "exaggerated".
For the pair, the Clasico is no place to gamble on a player who has yet to convince Mourinho in training. The enormous pressure at the Camp Nou, they argue, could be too much for a young player still trying to prove himself.
One thing everyone agrees on: Real Madrid enter Clasico week with a different morale. The team that swept aside Sevilla, despite the refereeing row over the Guler and Pique incident, which the referees' committee itself admitted was unclear, conceding that "the VAR cameras are the same as the television cameras", showed it has varied attacking options. And Endrick's story, from failure to hope, could be the headline of the upcoming Clasico.