Richarlison

Richarlison de Andrade (born 10 May 1997), known simply as Richarlison (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁiˈʃaʁl(i)sõ]), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Brazil national team.

He began his professional career with América Mineiro in 2015, winning promotion from the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B in his only season before transferring to Fluminense. He totalled 67 matches and 19 goals in his two years there, and was named in the Team of the Season when the club finished as runners-up in the 2017 Campeonato Carioca. After this spell he then signed for Watford, and a year later Everton. He later signed for Tottenham Hotspur in 2022.

At the international level, Richarlison made his senior debut for Brazil in 2018. He was a member of the team that won the 2019 Copa América, were runners-up at the 2021 Copa América and won a gold medal at the 2020 Olympic tournament. Although Brazil did not advance beyond the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Richarlison's scissor kick goal against Serbia was voted the Goal of the Tournament.

Club career

América Mineiro

Richarlison was born in Nova Venécia, Espírito Santo. He joined América Mineiro's youth setup in December 2014, from Real Noroeste. In June 2015, he was promoted to the first team by manager Givanildo Oliveira. He had previously been close to giving up on a career in football, having been rejected by several teams, and spent all his money on a 600-kilometre one-way ticket to Belo Horizonte for his trial.

Richarlison made his professional debut on 4 July 2015 in a 3–1 home win against Mogi Mirim. After entering as a late substitute for Cristiano, he scored the last goal of the match. Seventeen days later, he extended his contract until 2018.

On 21 November 2015, as América earned promotion to Campeonato Brasileiro Série A with a 1–1 home draw against Ceará, Richarlison was sent off at the end of the match for a foul on Charles.

Fluminense

On 29 December 2015, Richarlison signed a five-year contract with Série A club Fluminense. He made his debut on 13 May 2016 in the second leg of the second round of the Copa do Brasil, contributing to all of his team's goals in a 3–3 home draw (6–3 aggregate) against Ferroviaria.

He made his league debut two days later, starting in a 1–0 away win against former club América. His first goal in the division came on 26 June, the winner in a 2–1 success against rivals Flamengo, a game in which he came on as a late substitute but was himself taken off injured.

In the 2017 Campeonato Carioca, Richarlison scored 8 goals in 12 matches and was named in the team of the season as his club finished as runner-up to Flamengo. This included one on 22 April in a 3–0 semi-final win over Vasco da Gama at the Maracanã Stadium.

That same year, Richarlison also took part in his first continental competition, the 2017 Copa Sudamericana. He played four games in the Rio de Janeiro-based club's run to the quarter-finals, and scored in wins over Liverpool (Uruguay) and Universidad Católica (Ecuador) in the first two phases.

Watford

Richarlison completed a move to English Premier League club Watford on 8 August 2017, signing a five-year contract for a £11.2 million transfer fee. He made his debut for the club as a substitute in a 3–3 draw against Liverpool on the opening day of the 2017–18 Premier League season. In his next match, on 19 August against AFC Bournemouth, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win. He was the only member of the Watford squad to play every match of the Premier League season, and scored five goals over its course.

Everton

Richarlison transferred to fellow Premier League club Everton on 24 July 2018 for a transfer fee starting at £35 million and potentially rising to £50 million, reuniting him with former Watford manager Marco Silva. In his competitive debut on 11 August, he scored twice in a 2–2 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Two weeks later, he was sent off in the first half of a match of the same score away to Bournemouth for clashing heads with Adam Smith.

Due to the poor form of fellow Everton strikers, Richarlison was deployed in the centre-forward role for Everton's game against Leicester City on 6 October, scoring in the 7th minute in a 2–1 away win. Four weeks later, he scored twice in a 3–1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. Richarlison finished the season as Everton's joint-highest goalscorer along with Gylfi Sigurðsson on 13 Premier League goals, while both had 14 goals in all competitions. Ahead of the 2019–20 Richarlison was handed the number 7 shirt. He finished that season as the club's joint-highest goalscorer, this time sharing the honour with Dominic Calvert-Lewin on 13 Premier League goals, while both had 15 goals in all competitions.

On 3 December 2019, Richarlison signed a new five-year contract with Everton. On 20 February 2021, he scored the first goal in a 2–0 win over Liverpool at Anfield, Everton's first away win over their rivals since September 1999.

Towards the end of the 2021–2022 Premier League season, Richarlison cemented himself in Everton's history as a cult hero as he single-handedly saved them from relegation, providing 6 goals and 2 assists in his final 10 league outings, including crucial goals against Chelsea and Crystal Palace. The striker later spoke on the physical turmoil he endured during that period, to The Players' Tribune, stating, 'My body was asking me to stop... It was my last breath, my last game as an Evertonian. A moment I will carry with me for the rest of my life.'

Tottenham Hotspur

2022–23: Debut season and adaptation

On 1 July 2022, Tottenham Hotspur announced the signing of Richarlison on a contract until 2027, subject to a work permit for a fee of £50m plus £10m in potential add-ons. Richarlison gained his first assist for his new club in a 2–0 win against Nottingham Forest on 20 August. Richarlison's showboating during that match was widely discussed in the media, being criticised by the likes of Michail Antonio and Callum Wilson as "disrespectful", but praised by Neil Warnock, who encouraged Richarlison to continue entertaining fans.

On 7 September, on Richarlison's Champions League debut, he scored both goals in a 2–0 win over Marseille at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, his first goals for the club. He suffered injuries during the season and then complained publicly about not getting back into the team, prompting manager Antonio Conte to criticise him for being selfish. He scored his first Premier League goal for Tottenham after 23 appearances on 30 April 2023, in a 4–3 loss to Liverpool. This was his only league goal of the 2022–23 Premier League season.

2023–24: Personal struggles and return to form

With just days before the start of the 2023–24 Premier League season, the departure of Harry Kane—Tottenham's record goal scorer—was finalised. Hence, there was expectation that Richarlison might take on the role of Tottenham's main striker; but by the end of the fourth game of that season he remained scoreless. His goal-less streak followed him with the Brazil national football team in a World Cup qualifier against the Bolivia national football team, in which he failed to score and was substituted. Afterwards, Richarlison opened up on his recent personal struggles, as he revealed he would seek professional help for his mental health issues.

On 16 September, with Tottenham losing to Sheffield United by a goal at added time, Richarlison came on as a substitute and scored an equalising goal, and then two minutes later Richarlison contributed an assist for Tottenham to win the match. Richarlison's assist for the winning goal, scored ten minutes into added time, resulted in a win that was once officially the latest-ever comeback win in Premier League history. On 9 November, Tottenham confirmed that Richarlison had undergone surgery on his groin. On 10 December, Richarlison made his first start since the surgery, and scored a brace against Newcastle United in a 4–1 victory. Richarlison went on to score nine goals in eight league matches between 10 December 2023 and 3 February 2024 against the likes of Nottingham Forest, Everton, Manchester United, Bournemouth and Brentford. This run of form concluded with a brace against his former side Everton in a 2–2 draw away at Goodison Park. On 5 May, he contributed to a goal and assist after coming off the bench against Liverpool in a 4–2 loss.