Richarlison, 25, has multiple tattoos across his body. One of her favorites is a heart with the Brazilian flag drawn on her chest. It symbolizes the pride he takes in defending his country.
He is also not the type to hide his emotions. On the contrary. He gets teary-eyed, for example, during the playing of the Brazilian national anthem before every World Cup game.
He is one of the highlights of the team that will face Croatia this Friday (9), at 12h (BrasÃlia time), at Cidade da Educação stadium. This is a player’s dream come true. The duel is valid for the quarterfinals.
Those who live with Richarlison say that he spent day and night dealing with an injury to return in time to compete at the Worlds at a high level. With three goals, he is the team’s top scorer in the competition.
“Thank God, it was a minor injury and he wanted to participate in this Cup so much that he recovered very quickly”, says his father, Antônio Marcos de Andrade, 46.
The national team has a very big weight in Richarlison’s life, as well as football itself. With the ball at his feet, he fulfills his father’s dream. “It didn’t work out for me, but it did for my son”, boasts Antônio, who tried to be a player.
For Antônio, the image of the emotional son at the time of the hymn is a faithful portrait of what he is on a day-to-day basis and how he lives his life. And it also reveals the athlete’s ability to concentrate, as his face changes in an instant, when the match is about to begin.
“He’s a group guy, who wins people over with his cheerful and humble way. From the base, he’s always been like that, he stood out for that determination, that race that he has”, says his father.
That’s how he won not only Tite’s trust, but also the admiration of Tottenham fans, the club he defends in England.
There, he lived one of the most emotional moments of his life before the Cup. In September, the striker debuted in the Champions League and scored two goals in the 2-0 victory over Olympique.
In addition to the great performance, it went viral on social media a moment after the match, when he went to one of the stands and hugged his father.
“This opportunity to meet him at the stadium was another dream come true for him. It was very important for us to be present. We were always present, but from a distance, in thought, in heart. And that day I was there in England with him”, recalls Antônio .
The two cried together. “We got emotional because it’s a dream he came true. A debut, with two goals, was very rewarding. I just have to thank God for the blessings in my son’s life”, he adds.
The player himself says that fame “has not changed anything” for him in relation to his personal life, as he remains attached to the phrase that, although it is a cliché, is also an important mantra for him: “I always keep my feet on the ground”.
On the field, however, he “failed” that promise. But it was for good reason. In Brazil’s World Cup debut, against Serbia, he volleyed in the second goal in the 2-0 victory – he had also opened the scoring.
That’s when he fell into the graces of the fans, who now expect another great performance from him against Croatia, in search of a place in the semifinal.
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