The excitement surrounding Endrick’s arrival in Lyon has already been reflected in ticket sales for his debut at his new home, the Groupama Stadium. On January 18 against Brest, more than 50,000 tickets have been sold, while the average attendance has not exceeded 43,000 throughout the current season. This uplift indicates that the Brazilian’s loan deal is already bearing fruit, even though he has not yet played a single minute for Olympique Lyonnais.
The record for tickets sold this season by the French club was set on matchday 12 of Ligue 1. Lyon faced PSG and nearly sold out their stadium, which drew 58,257 spectators. Endrick’s debut at the Groupama Stadium is expected to match or even surpass that figure, as with more than a week to go before the match, less than 8,000 tickets remain available.
It’s unusual for Lyon to sell such a large number of tickets and the effect is undoubtedly due to the excitement surrounding the signing of Endrick, whose loan, until the end of the season, was unimaginable at the start of the campaign. The striker is expected to start on Sunday in the Coupe de France match against Lille, marking his first appearance in Olympique Lyonnais’ colors, in a crucial game for Paulo Fonseca’s side.
The Portuguese coach is delighted with the first two weeks working with the player on loan from Real Madrid. Endrick has joined Lyon with the aim of regaining his form, returning to his best level, bringing the historic French club closer to titles, and persuading Ancelotti to call him up for the next World Cup. It’s a six-month challenge in which France, Brazil, and Spain will analyze every move, minute, and gesture of the player who came up through the Palmeiras youth system.
Endrick hasn’t just generated excitement on the pitch. On social media, his impact has been total at Olympique Lyonnais. His welcome video to the club broke records on Instagram, surpassing 24 million views in less than 24 hours, while the most-viewed post of the entire season was a Tyler Morton dribble that garnered nearly 3 million interactions. An unparalleled phenomenon for the only team to have won seven consecutive French league titles this century.