He spoke with immense reverence for his first manager in Spain, Carlo Ancelotti, crediting the Italian veteran with teaching him lessons that extended far beyond the pitch. "I could write a book about everything I learned from him," he said. "He played at a high level for major clubs and has won everything as a coach in several countries. He taught us so much about the game, but also about the life of a soccer player. "
In contrast, his time working under Alonso was cut short, and he was unable to watch the fateful final in Saudi Arabia that precipitated the coach's exit. Nevertheless, Endrick displayed a maturity beyond his years when discussing Alonso, wishing the Basque tactician well for the future. "Xabi was a brilliant player, a world champion, a champion as a coach in Germany, and he’ll soon be at a new club or national team," he said.
It will be his old Madrid manager he will hope to impress while at Lyon, though, with Ancelotti leading the Brazilian national team into the World Cup this summer. Endrick has set his sights on consistent improvement, with the ultimate goal of forcing his way into the squad for the competition in Canada, United States and Mexico. He is acutely aware that his performances for Lyon will be the metric by which he is judged by the Selecao hierarchy.
"I have one goal each week: to start the next week better than the last one," he revealed. "I’ve already been with the national team, and if I improve every week, I’ll be better than I was when I was first called up."