Endrick gives his verdict on Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid exit after making January loan move to Lyon

The 19-year-old enjoyed an encouraging debut season at Madrid following his transfer from Palmeiras in 2024. The teenager scored seven goals in 37 appearances under former Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti but his successor, Alonso, used the youngster very sparingly. After playing just three times this term, he was loaned out to Lyon, where he enjoyed a dream goalscoring debut. Off the back of that, Endrick admitted he has "got his smile back".

He said after his Lyon debut, "I’m very happy, it was my first match. The most important thing was this qualification. It was a difficult match; we knew they were a tough opponent. I thank God for the opportunities to score. I’m very happy to be back on the pitch and to have my smile back. It’s great, much better than I imagined. I can joke around with the whole team; I’ve gotten to know everyone well, I speak Spanish and English. I feel right at home, I’m very happy, I thank the staff, it’s really great, I thank everyone.

"The style of play. I really like it. It reminds me of Palmeiras' style when I played as a false nine. I like to help the team both defensively and offensively. I have a lot of freedom. I want to play in any position, I told the coach that. I want to help by playing the best way possible. I want to help the team, and I hope to do even more in the future. I think I did that tonight. Objectives? No. I want to win and triumph; the goals will come. The most important thing is that the team has to win. I want to help the team in every way. I want to contribute in any way I can. We want to win everything.”

While some players may have ill feelings towards managers who use them so sparingly, Endrick was quick to laud the Spaniard following his Madrid departure.

He told Marca, "I learned a lot from Xabi in Madrid. He was a top-level player and knows football very well. Even though I was injured for a long time and couldn't train with everyone, I benefited a lot from what I heard from him. Now I'm learning from Paulo Fonseca (his coach in Lyon), who is also meticulous. If you have an open mind, you learn every day from great coaches, and that's what I'm looking for."

The former Bayer Leverkusen manager was relieved of his duties following Madrid's Spanish Super Cup final loss to Barcelona at the weekend. Soon after Alonso's sacking, Madrid swiftly announced that B team coach Alvaro Arbeloa would lead the club going forward. Rather than being bitter, though, Alonso expressed his gratitude at being given this opportunity.

He wrote on Instagram, "This professional stage concludes, and it has not turned out as we would have liked. Coaching Real Madrid has been an honour and a responsibility. I thank the club, the players and above all the fans and Madrid fans for their trust and support. I leave with respect, gratitude, and pride that I did my best."

While Madrid tries to get on without Endrick, although reports have claimed he could be recalled in January, the Brazilian has his sights firmly set on making it into Carlo Ancelotti's squad for this summer's World Cup. He has a good chance at doing that if he can thrive at Lyon.

He added, "The Brazilian national team is the most important in the world. No one has a guaranteed position. I want to play for Brazil again, but that's a consequence of what I do now at Lyon. The first game I fulfilled my objective: to qualify for the Cup. It was great, because I was able to score my first goal for the club, but I have to aim for more. If I score more, my chances of being called up will increase."