Real Madrid have made plenty of mistakes in the transfer market throughout the years. The most egregious, without a shadow of a doubt, is the €100 million splurged on Eden Hazard, considering he accumulated just 76 appearances for the club, scoring only seven goals. Now, as recently as January, have they made another catastrophically costly decision, but in a very different way?
Just before Christmas, it was announced that Endrick would join Olympique Lyonnais on loan until the end of the season. Les Gones agreed a €1 million loan fee, as well as covering 50% of his wages, which very much looks like a shrewd investment at this point.
Endrick is making Real Madrid look silly now
That's because, during only his second Ligue 1 appearance, the Brazilian forward bagged a hat-trick during a 5-2 demolition of Metz at Stade Saint-Symphorien. The teenager has also found the net against both Lille and Stade Lavallois in the Coupe de France, and his statistics since making the move are pretty frightening:
Statistics | Endrick at Lyon |
|---|---|
Appearances | 10 |
Minutes | 787 |
Goals | 5 |
Assists | 4 |
Red cards | 1 |
It has not all been plain sailing for Endrick since arriving in France. He was sent off against Nantes at Stade de la Beaujoire last month, but bounced back by bagging two assists during the Choc des Olympiques against Marseille at the Vélodrome the weekend before last.
As recognition for his form, he was presented with the Ligue 1 player of the month for January award on Sunday, very well deserved. Next up, Endrick will be back in Spain, with Paulo Fonseca's side facing Celta Vigo at Balaídos in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 encounter. This has brought into the spotlight the fact that Real Madrid surely rue allowing him to go out on loan.
Endrick first arrived in the Spanish capital with a huge reputation. Having scored 21 times in 82 appearances for Palmeiras, los Blancos paid a reported €60 million to secure his signature. However, he has rarely featured for Real Madrid, especially this season, seeing just 99 minutes of action under Xabi Alonso:
Statistics | Endrick for Real Madrid in 25/26 |
|---|---|
Appearances | 3 |
Starts | 1 |
Minutes | 99 |
Goals | 0 |
Assists | 0 |
Times an unused sub | 15 |
His sole start for los Merengues this season came against minnows Talavera de la Reina in the Copa del Rey, hence why he was so eager to move in January, a desperate attempt to revive his World Cup chances. Alonso clearly did not believe in him, a view that is being made to look foolish.
Well, mere days after Endrick landed in Lyon, Alonso was sacked and replaced by Álvaro Arbeloa, so who knows how he could've been used by the current boss. On top of this, Brahim Díaz was deployed up front in Vigo on Friday night, given that Kylian Mbappé is nursing a knee injury, while Rodrygo is set to be sidelined for at least six months.
Thus, Arbeloa could have done with the 19 year old just in terms of numbers, let alone his quality, so with Real Madrid's season potentially going south, this could prove to be a decision that comes back to haunt them.