Meet Endrick: The Brazilian making an immediate impact at Lyon

It was a moment which could change the season both on and off the pitch for Olympique Lyonnais, when a young Brazilian was announced on loan from Real Madrid until the end of the campaign. It was a face well known to followers of European football, a young talent looking to re-find his spark - and it would be in the Rhône region and Ligue 1 McDonald's that the youngster opted to make his breakthrough. His impact is already being felt.

Olympique Lyonnais have been recently operating in a financially difficult context, with the need to reduce spending a paramount priority for president Michele Kang and the leadership at OL. But a loan move for the 19 year-old has already created an fervour and interest internationally which has reached levels not seen for many years.

A first goal, a first statement

On Sunday evening the youngster would grab his first goal for Les Gones in their Coupe de France clash against Lille, who would eventually extend their winning run to reach the next round. Aided by an assist from the experienced Corentin Tolisso, the Brazilian looked comfortable on the ball, in his flair in dribbling and with lots of shots. Endrick is already looking at home in an OL shirt.

"The style of play helps me enormously," said Endrick following the game to BeinSport. "It reminds me of how we used to play at Palmeiras, when I played as a false nine and I could help out the team both defensively and offensively. As I said to the coach, I want to play - I want to be in the team, and help us as much as possible." 

Lyon sign one of the world's most promising youngsters

Endrick came to international fame when he was named as one of the best talents born in 2006 by English newspaper The Guardian. He had already become the youngest goalscorer in the history of Brazil's Serie A, and won his first trophy winning the league with Palmieras who won their eleventh league title in their history.

Real Madrid announced in December 2022 that they had reached an agreement to sign Endrick from Palmieras when he would sign 18 in 2024. He eventually joined the Spanish side and became the youngest foreign player to score for the club in La Liga's history. After a bright start, hamstring injuries would hamper his career and competition for places would be tough. This is where Lyon came in, offering regular football for Endrick in a six month loan deal.

Not since signing the likes of Memphis Depay or Islam Slimani has an OL signing conjured up so much international attention. With 15 million followers on Instagram, Endrick is already offering Lyon a huge international boost in visibility.

While for OL's managing director, German Michael Gerlinger, ‘the priority obviously remains sporting’, the Brazilian striker's media aura is also a factor that should not be overlooked. "We are convinced that Endrick is the missing piece of the puzzle and that he will strengthen the team for the second half of the season. But we have seen that his image is so strong that he will help us develop the club's image," he said.

The video of his arrival has been viewed 18 million times on Instagram. OL's account gained 223,000 followers from around the world as soon as the player's signing was announced, and 243,000 on TikTok.

‘In agreement with Real Madrid, the idea was to present Endrick as an early Christmas present,’ said Florent Deligia, director of communications. "The first videos showing behind-the-scenes footage of his arrival and his first training session generated 60 million views. Produced in-house, they also helped to involve the club's major partners and boost their international visibility. One of the challenges will also be to retain these new subscribers once Endrick has left," he adds.

‘The number of views is a consequence of what I can achieve. In Brazil, people love to watch my profile, they want more, they want to see what's going on, my life, in Lyon too,’ says Endrick, supported by his own communications team. ‘I'm happy to see this enthusiasm and these supporters waiting for me with shirts to sign, but I want to focus on football above all else,’ he warns.

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