The Toffees forward almost saw his home tournament ended by illness but recovered in time to play a key role in the Selecao's success
After a golden summer with his country, Richarlison is targeting more success with his club.
And for Everton, that is good news indeed.
The Blues forward is known more for his scowls than his smiles, in truth, but he cannot conceal his delight as he sits down with Goal lfor an exclusive, one-one-one interview to discuss his rise as a professional.
A rise which, quite simply, is showing no sign of slowing.
First on the agenda, naturally, is the Copa America, clinched by Brazil on home soil last month. Richarlison was one of the new-boys in Tite’s squad, but he became the hero. In the final against Peru, it was his last-minute penalty which clinched the Selecao’s ninth Copa at a jubilant Maracana.
“I’ve been watching the video of my penalty goal every night!” Richarlison says, his eyes dancing. “It took a while for it to really sink in, to realise what we’d really achieved.
“For me and my family, it was a great achievement – and that was despite the difficulties that I had during the tournament…”
Let’s talk about those difficulties, shall we? Never mind scoring in the final, it was an achievement for Richarlison to even be there.
He had started the tournament well, in the side as Brazil defeated Bolivia and drew with Venezuela. But having lost his place to, somewhat ironically, a player named Everton for the final group game, he was then diagnosed with mumps ahead of the quarter-final with Paraguay.
In isolation in a Porto Alegre hospital room, it looked to all intents and purposes as though his Copa was over.
“That was difficult,” Richarlison says. “Every day I would wake up and look in the mirror to see if the swelling in my neck had gone down.
“It was a miracle in some senses, because all the research I did said a minimum of two weeks recovery time. Even the doctor didn’t believe I could be back so quickly, in time for the semi-final and the final, but I managed to recover in four or five days.”