Endrick has had quite the start to life on loan at Lyon.
Since arriving from Real Madrid in the recent winter transfer window, the 19-year-old forward has made six appearances for the French club, scoring five goals and providing two assists. He picked up the Player of the Match award after getting the winner on his debut and has now also been named Player of the Month in Ligue 1, the top division of the game in France.
Endrick started this season with one thing on his mind: staying with and succeeding at Madrid, where he arrived from Palmeiras in his homeland of Brazil in July 2024, just after turning 18, in a deal worth an initial €35million (£30.6m/$41.2m at the current rates) and up to €25m more in potential add-ons. Around €50m of that has already been paid.
That plan changed in mid-October when, given the lack of opportunities he was getting under Madrid’s then head coach Xabi Alonso, a loan to Lyon emerged as a potential option.
Alonso had already told the teenager in the summer that it would be difficult for him to get regular playing time in his Madrid side, with Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, two of the biggest names in world football, ahead of him in the pecking order. However, Endrick, who is very confident in his potential, insisted on staying.
His start to 2025-26 with Madrid was not helped by a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury suffered late last season, which allowed academy graduate Gonzalo Garcia to step up to the first-team squad to take his place. After finishing as joint-top goalscorer at the Club World Cup, Gonzalo was promoted to the senior setup on a permanent basis and given a new and improved contract. The 21-year-old has gone on to make 27 appearances for Madrid this season, scoring six times — while Endrick only played 99 minutes across three matches, making his sole start against third-tier opposition in the Copa del Rey.
When Endrick was again an unused substitute while Gonzalo was introduced from the bench in a La Liga fixture against Getafe on October 19, the player decided to listen to close advisers who were recommending a loan move in the winter window.
There was, however, some division over the idea at Madrid. This was a player they had managed to sign despite rival interest from Barcelona, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain — and had paid that €50m, a figure which could still rise. Some at the club could not understand why Alonso was not giving him more playing time, and there was an increasing concern over potential stagnation if that continued.
Sources familiar with the situation — speaking anonymously to protect relationships, like all those consulted for this article — say many clubs showed interest in Endrick, but once Lyon took the lead, the player did not want to hear from any others. He saw it as the best option for him to continue growing as a player.
Lyon made him feel from the outset that he would have a very important role with them. Their Portuguese head coach Paulo Fonseca was key to this, as was the number of Brazilians to have enjoyed successful spells there down the years, a list including Sonny Anderson, Juninho Pernambucano, Edmilson, Michel Bastos, Bruno Guimaraes and Lucas Paqueta.
As at Madrid, Endrick would wear the No 9 shirt, which is always special for a striker.
By November, a simple loan for the rest of the season — with no option to buy attached — was almost wrapped up. Only a serious injury to one of Madrid’s established forwards would have caused it to be called off.
A clause that was included in the agreement also helped to suggest that Lyon’s good intentions would be translated into action.
Lyon will not pay anything to Real Madrid if Endrick makes 25 starts for them (Olivier Chassignole/AFP via Getty Images)
The Athletic revealed in early January that Lyon could pay up to €1million for Endrick but for every five games he starts for them, that fee will be reduced by €200,000. So if he were to start 25 times, they would pay Madrid nothing at all.
The 14-time Brazil international arrived in Lyon, France’s third biggest city, at the end of December with a large entourage, including some who have been with him since he was a young teenager. He also brought along Guido Spirandelli, a physiotherapist he had been working with at Madrid — a move that was the player’s idea rather than the club’s. His team includes a nutritionist, a chef, a social-media consultant and a media consultant, as Endrick himself told The Athletic in December 2023.
He was unable to make his debut against Monaco in Ligue 1 on January 3, as under French football’s regulations a player has to wait four days from a transfer being registered before they can feature for their new club, but the wait proved worth it. He instead made his first appearance on January 11 in the Coupe de France, starting, playing 72 minutes and scoring what proved the winner in a 2-1 victory at Lille in the round of 32.
𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘰 𝘨𝘰𝘭 🔥🇧🇷
Le centre d’Afonso, la déviation de Corentin, le plat du pied gauche d’Endrick pour inscrire son premier but en Rouge & Bleu 🦁🔴🔵#LOSCOL pic.twitter.com/FBjVr9QslW
— Olympique Lyonnais (@OL) January 11, 2026
As was the case in Madrid, where he was nicknamed ‘Bobby’, after mentioning Manchester United and England great and 1966 World Cup winner Sir Bobby Charlton when talking about his idols in an interview, Endrick has settled perfectly into the Lyon dressing room. Able to speak Portuguese, Spanish, English and some French, he has adapted quickly — and the goals have followed.
His impressive start to life in Ligue 1 will surely have moved him closer to his target of representing Brazil at the World Cup this summer.
The 2-0 home win against Nice on Sunday was Lyon’s 13th victory in a row in all competitions, a remarkable run dating back to early December. Endrick was suspended for that game, having been sent off in a 1-0 defeat of Nantes the previous weekend — the only low point of his short time at Lyon.
An initial straight red card was later downgraded to a second yellow, though. That means he will be available to face seventh-placed Strasbourg on Sunday, with visitors Lyon currently third in the table, seven points behind leaders Lens.
“Endrick has adapted to the club very well and very quickly,” Lyon’s technical director Matthieu Louis-Jean tells The Athletic.
“Endrick isn’t here by chance. We absolutely needed a No 9 capable of giving us a real attacking boost, and we believed that Lyon was a very good environment for the development of a young striker of his level. The idea was simple: it has to be a win-win situation for him and Lyon.
“We’ve noticed an ‘Endrick effect’ on shirt sales since his announcement in December, which intensified once he started playing. As for social media, we’ve gained more than a million followers across all our platforms.”
Endrick pictured in training with Lyon on January 2 (Olivier Chassignole/AFP via Getty Images)
Madrid have been delighted with his performances, although they are keeping their distance.
Sources say contact with Endrick and Lyon has been minimal, and that nothing happening with him in France has been influenced by his parent club — including his increased use on the right wing, where he would perhaps fit into the team more easily when he’s back at the Bernabeu.
Madrid are counting on him for next season, although his situation will be reviewed in the summer. Endrick is under contract until 2030 and his priority is to succeed with the Spanish giants, but at the same time he wants real opportunities to show his qualities.
His presence, or otherwise, at the upcoming World Cup may have an influence on this.
Sources close to both Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti and Endrick explain that, although his chances of being called up for two friendlies in the next international window against France (March 26) and Croatia (March 31), both in the United States, have increased considerably after this move to Lyon, no decision or communication has yet been made. He was not part of the two previous Brazil squads in October and November and hasn’t played for his country since last March.
“Endrick is really motivated,” Lyon coach Fonseca tells The Athletic. “Everyone knows he wants to be in the Brazil team, and he understands how important it is to perform here to achieve this goal. I think he suffered a little with too much attention from the opponents in these last games, but also we cannot forget that he’s a young player and there’s big pressure — everyone speaks about Endrick.
“I’m trying to keep him balanced, humble and responsible. To help him understand that he can help the team — but also that the team can help him. He’s a very good kid, he works hard. He’s a unique talent and, if he continues to focus, he will have a great future.”
Additional reporting: Tom Burrows