What’s Next for Endrick? Agent Makes Promise for Real Madrid Striker’s Future

Endrick still has to face the same problem he left behind in January.

Endrick is grateful to Lyon. | Sathire Kelpa/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

The message from Endrick’s agent is the Brazilian striker “will be a Real Madrid player again” at the end of the season, no matter what happens.

Endrick joined Olympique Lyonnais on loan in January, searching for time on the pitch after being given only 22 minutes in La Liga and the Champions League in the first half of 2025–26.

The 19-year-old started well in France, scoring a hat-trick against Metz in his second Ligue 1 match, plus two other goals in the Coupe de France. That said, a red card 61 minutes into Saturday’s win against Nantes will halt his early momentum.

But regardless of how he performs on the pitch, Endrick’s future remains tied to Real Madrid.

“The decision has already been made for him to return to Real Madrid at the end of the season; there’s no mystery or secrecy surrounding it,” agent Thiago Freitas told winwin.

“The deal is a loan only, without an option to buy, so Endrick will be back. I can’t predict [what happens next season], but I can tell you that at the end of this season, Endrick will be a Real Madrid player again.”

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Why Endrick Had to Leave Real Madrid

Endrick was barely playing for Real Madrid. | Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press/Getty Images

Freitas is clear: his client did not leave Real Madrid on loan through any failing of his own.

“Endrick had absolutely no problem adapting. He scored in his first Champions League match, his first La Liga match, and his first Copa del Rey match,” the agent reminded.

Competition was the bigger issue from the start, owing to the presence of players like Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and Kylian Mbappé fighting for similar positions.

“When he arrived, if you look at the club’s attackers, you’ll find that eight of the top 10 players in the world were at Real Madrid,” Freitas argued. “It’s only natural that an 18-year-old would arrive at a club like that and get few minutes.

“It is important to note that Endrick did not start the second season with the [team], he did not go to the United States to participate in the Club World Cup, he was injured. At a club like Real Madrid, when you are out of the team for three or four months, it is very normal to have difficulty returning to play.”

With his prospects not likely to change in the second half of the season and, having spoken with both Xabi Alonso—no longer in charge—and Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti, it was considered better for Endrick to go somewhere he could play in the months leading into the 2026 World Cup.

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Endrick’s Real Madrid Prospects Unlikely to Change

Endrick had also been stuck behind Gonzalo García. | Maciej Rogowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

Performing for Lyon in the remainder of 2025–26 is only part of the battle—even that isn’t straightforward as the Metz hat-trick is the only Ligue 1 game he’s scored in.

Endrick is never realistically going to be a regular starter for Real Madrid while Mbappé is around, as dominant as he has been in terms of numbers in front of goal—the Frenchman’s 38 goals account for 48% of the team’s entire output across all competitions this season.

The more direct fight is with Gonzalo García, the backup forward who has been getting most of Mbappé’s spare minutes. Even then, the 21-year-old Spaniard is struggling himself, starting just four games in La Liga and averaging only 23 minutes per appearance across the Spanish league and Champions League. The system isn’t really set up to accommodate two strikers, let alone three.

Gonzalo has been linked with a transfer of his own in recent months, with Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion rumored destinations for the 2025 Club World Cup top scorer.

If Endrick stays a Real Madrid player next season, even should Gonzalo leave, his situation is not going to be dramatically different. He has to make the decision if his career is best served elsewhere, or to ride it out given that time—turning 20 in July—remains very much on his side.

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