Second only to Vinícius, Endrick has set his Madrid return date
With Brazil’s World Cup squad announcement just a week away, the competition for a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s attack is fierce.
Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti didn’t mince words with Endrick; he was direct and honest. “Your chances of going to the World Cup depend on you playing plenty of minutes,” Ancelotti told the teenager, pointing to his limited role at Real Madrid under then-boss Xabi Alonso. “I recommend a loan move.”
Message delivered - and heeded. Since joining Ligue 1 club Lyon on a six-month deal in the mid-season transfer window, Endrick has outperformed almost every other Brazilian attacking candidate in Europe, trailing only Vinícius Júnior in total goals and assists.
What are Endrick’s stats since Lyon move?
With just one week to go before Ancelotti names Brazil’s final World Cup squad - the list will be announced next Monday, May 18 - the battle for spots in Brazil’s attack is shaping up to be one of the fiercest in decades.
And Endrick is one of the standout names in that race. Since his Lyon debut in early January, the 19-year-old has featured in 21 matches for the French club, producing eight goals and nine assists - a total of 17 goal involvements. The only player ahead of him in that span is Vinícius, who has logged 16 goals and four assists in 27 matches for Madrid.
On a per-minute basis, Lyon’s No. 9 also stacks up favorably against his rivals, needing just 92.59 minutes to register a goal contribution. The only player with a better rate is Barcelona’s Raphinha, who checks in at just over 89 minutes.
Endrick’s aim: Leave Lyon in the UCL
Endrick still has one final mission in France: to help Lyon secure a Champions League berth. The French side heads into the final round of the Ligue 1 season locked in a battle for third place with Lille, who hold a one-point edge. Lyon closes out the league campaign at home against Lens on Sunday, in a match that could deliver a massive payoff for Les Gones.
Once the league campaign wraps, Endrick will head back to Madrid. According to Globo, the striker and his family will return to the Spanish capital on Monday, and starting Wednesday he’ll train at Ciudad Real Madrid to gear up for the World Cup he’s hoping to play in. The forward has already sought permission from Madrid to come back to complete his preparations for a potential call-up to the tournament in North America.
Europe-based Brazilian forwards with the most goal involvements since Endrick joined Lyon in January (stats per SofaScore):
1 — Vinícius Júnior: 20
16 goals
4 assists
27 matches
2 — Endrick: 17
8 goals
9 assists
21 matches
3 — João Pedro: 15
13 goals
2 assists
24 matches
4 — Raphinha: 13
10 goals
3 assists
17 matches
5 — Gabriel Martinelli: 11
6 goals
5 assists
29 matches
6 — Igor Jesus: 10
8 goals
2 assists
23 matches
7 — Igor Thiago: 9
9 goals
0 assists
25 matches
8 — Rayan: 9
7 goals
2 assists
15 matches
9 — Matheus Cunha: 6
5 goals
1 assist
17 matches
10 — Richarlison: 5
3 goals
2 assists
9 matches
Europe-based Brazilian forwards with the fewest minutes per goal involvement since Endrick joined Lyon in January (stats per SofaScore):
1 — Raphinha
89.08 minutes per goal involvement
1,158 minutes played
17 matches
2 — Endrick
92.59 minutes per goal involvement
1,574 minutes played
21 matches
3 — Richarlison
112.60 minutes per goal involvement
563 minutes played
9 matches
4 — Vinícius Júnior
114.95 minutes per goal involvement
2,299 minutes played
27 matches
5 — João Pedro
117.07 minutes per goal involvement
1,756 minutes played
24 matches
6 — Rayan
118.44 minutes per goal involvement
1,066 minutes played
15 matches
7 — Gabriel Martinelli
127.91 minutes per goal involvement
1,407 minutes played
29 matches
8 — Igor Jesus
152.90 minutes per goal involvement
1,529 minutes played
23 matches
9 — Igor Thiago
168.11 minutes per goal involvement
1,513 minutes played
25 matches
10 — Matheus Cunha
214.17 minutes per goal involvement
1,285 minutes played
17 matches
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