Ever since Neymar became Brazil’s biggest star, there’s been criticism in the country over his repeated failure to take a stance on political and social issues.
And now that Richarlison has been standing out both on and off the pitch, the Everton star is getting some huge affection from Brazilian fans.
Following his goal against Uruguay last night, the Toffees striker dedicated it to people from the state of Amapá, who’ve been struggling with electricity cuts for the whole month. He also complained about the fact the national team game was only available on pay-per-view, meaning many people couldn’t afford to watch it.
Well, that was more than enough for him to be the hero of the day once again. That’s why UOL columnist Menon brings an article comparing Richarlison to Neymar.
“Richarlison is a Brazilian citizen who cares about the country.
And with the economic and moral ills that it has,” Menon writes.
“Since when does a football player not have the courage to speak out against authorities? They are concerned with drinking, dancing (nothing against that) and paying less tax,” he says.
“While Richarlison protested against the acquittal of the rapist of Mariana Ferrer, Neymar welcomed the signing of his ‘idol’ Robinho, convicted of rape in Italy.”
The story’s headline says Richarlison is a ‘great citizen’, while Neymar is just a ‘boleiro’, which is a Portuguese word for a simple good footballer.
Following last night’s match, the Everton player now has eight goals and four assists in 23 games for Brazil. He’s slowly securing an important place in the squad and getting much praise for his performances as well.
Infelizmente o povo do Amapá não vai poder ver meu gol hoje pq não tem luz há DUAS SEMANAS. Estão vivendo dias mt difíceis e espero que resolvam isso logo. Queria dedicar o gol e a vitória de hoje a todos os amapaenses 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🇧🇷💚💛
— Richarlison Andrade (@richarlison97) November 18, 2020
