When Endrick signed for Real Madrid in the summer of 2024, he arrived days after Kylian Mbappe and joined an attacking corps that already contained the likes of attacking talents Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz.
Competition for places was clearly going to be an issue for the teenager from the get-go, with Endrick having to largely settle for a super-sub role.
Now in his second season, the 19-year-old chose to head out on loan to Lyon in order to get more minutes under his belt.
Endrick on his favoured role
And while his spell at the French side has seen him pick up valuable playing time, he has also been able to prove that he has the kind of versatility that managers crave and will open the door to further opportunities when he returns to his parent club.
Asked about his favoured positions, he tells FourFourTwo about how he has been able to adapt throughout his young career so far.
“My position is centre forward,” he says. “My favourite shirt is the number nine and playing centrally is where I feel the most comfortable – where I have the freedom to move more and attack the space, which is one of the things I enjoy most on the pitch.
“But I can also play on the right, as a false nine or even on the left. The Lyon coach [Paulo Fonseca] knew that and we spoke about it when I arrived.
“I don’t see myself as a winger in that situation, but more of a striker who drifts wide.
“It reminds me of my time at Palmeiras when I worked very well with Breno Lopes.
“It’s good to have the freedom to drop back a little bit or move out to the right. My early goals for Lyon have all come when I was playing more centrally inside the box, but I like helping out the team with whatever the coach might ask of me.”
With seven goals and seven assists in his first 20 games at Lyon, Endrick is clearly benefiting from his increased playing time as he looks to make his case to Alvaro Arbeloa - or whoever is in the Bernabeu dugout next season.
“I just want to play, no matter how,” he declares.
