Not too long ago, Endrick was considered the brightest talent in world football. He was wanted by pretty much every top club in Europe and Real Madrid won the race for his signature, signing the Brazilian wonderkid from Palmeiras for a transfer fee that could rise upwards of €60 million.
Unfortunately, things did not play out as Endrick must have hoped. He did get a decent amount of playing time at Real Madrid in his debut season and even showed a penchant for finding the back of the net.
Endrick made 37 appearances under Carlo Ancelotti in the 24/25 campaign but played just 847 minutes of football, mostly coming off the bench. He did score seven goals and provided an assist.
Only one of those goals came in La Liga though. Another came in the Champions League. Five were scored in the Copa del Rey.
Ancelotti was replaced by Xabi Alonso in the summer and Endrick slipped quickly down the pecking order. He would make just three appearances for Real Madrid in the first half of the season before being sent out on loan to Lyon.
Endrick has revitalised his career at Lyon and quickly reminded everyone why he was considered the biggest talent to come out of Brazilian football since Neymar.
Photo by OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP via Getty Images
In 14 appearances for Lyon, Endrick has scored six goals and provided five assists. He has been named the Ligue 1 Player of the Month and is now back in the Brazilian national team fold right before the World Cup.
Endrick was eager to show his quality in national team colours during this international break and met that objective with his display against Croatia.
Coming on as a substitute in the 78th-minute, Endrick earned Brazil a penalty and then assisted Gabriel Martinelli's strike. That is impact off the bench.
According to ESPN, speaking after the match, Endrick said: "I had this sense of urgency.
"After seeing my wife telling me that just being here was already a victory, regardless of whether I came on, scored a goal or provided an assist, all the pressure went away."
Ancelotti is set to announce Brazil's squad for the World Cup on May 18. Endrick will be hoping that he is part of it, having made a late push with his recent performances. He said: "Whatever we can do for Brazil, we will do.
"I have no doubt about that. And we'll keep working, because nothing speaks louder than hard work."
Of course, Ancelotti will know Endrick well from their time together at Real Madrid. And following his recent surge in form, there is a good chance that he will be named in the squad for the World Cup.
How much he will be involved is a different story altogether. But it feels like he could play the same role that he did so successfully against Croatia, that of an impact sub.
