Endrick, from hardship to Palmeiras hero, now lighting up Lyon | OneFootball

Endrick promised at 10 to lift his family out of hardship, then did it, and by 17 he had driven Palmeiras to the 2023 Brazilian title. Now 19 and on loan from Real Madrid to Lyon, he heads to Marseille on Sunday at 20.45 with momentum behind him. According to L'Équipe, his shirt already sits in the Palmeiras museum.

In that run he spearheaded the epic 4-3 at Botafogo on matchday 31, when Palmeiras came from 3-0 down. The win cut the gap to four points, they were ahead by matchday 35. He has called his 2-3 finish that night the best goal of his career.

He left Palmeiras with 21 goals in 81 senior games, 55 as a starter, and close to 200 at youth level. Former coaches say he scored from everywhere, in power and with finesse. Scouts first flagged him at the 2016 Gol Cup in Goiânia, a quick, strong nine-year-old with startling ball control.

Palmeiras moved swiftly, offering housing, a private school and family healthcare as he relocated more than 1,000 km to São Paulo. His father took a cleaning job at the club before proudly watching him sign his first professional deal on 21 July 2022. Endrick had vowed to his parents he would change their lives.

He then delivered the Copinha, took best player and scored a spectacular overhead from outside the box, and soon became the youngest Placar cover star at 15. His following ballooned from 80,000 to 400,000, then beyond a million. The work never stopped.

Disciplined to a fault, he built an off-field team and modelled himself on Cristiano Ronaldo, prioritising training over nightlife. At 14 he endured racist abuse and age-fraud jibes in Santa Catarina, yet kept going.

Lyon supporters are savouring him, perhaps briefly. With five goals in seven for OL, he could earn a Brazil recall from the Italian coach on 16 March to face France and Croatia, after a year out through injury and scarce Real minutes. He has three goals in 14 caps and his next target, if selected, is to stake a claim for 2026.

Source: L'Équipe