Everton star Richarlison has never hidden the great relationship he had with former Toffees boss Carlo Ancelotti.
The player’s admiration for his old manager was highlighted by him in an interview with Brazilian outlet TNT Sports, where the forward discussed the struggles at Goodison Park.
Speaking to reporter Fred Caldeira, Richarlison was asked what went wrong with Everton in the past few years, as they couldn’t reach the goal of qualifying for a European competition.
The 24-year-old pointed out that in the case Ancelotti had stayed at the club, then he believes the Toffees would soon be featuring in those big tournaments.
“Look, we got a coach who fit in the team, which was Ancelotti, unfortunately he had to leave. He went to Real Madrid,” Richarlison told TNT Sports.
Asked by Fred Caldeira if Ancelotti called him to move to Real Madrid with him, Richarlison only had a laugh and continued speaking.
“Oh, he still texts me. He’s a guy who helped me a lot here at the club.”
“He was a guy who arrived here, he managed to fix the team. He brought in James Rodriguez too, who helped a lot. And we almost got there. We were, if I’m not mistaken, 3 or 4 points from the Europa League. That was one of our goals.
“And for sure, if he stayed for this season, he’d ask for signings, we would reach the Champions or the Europa League. Unfortunately he didn’t stay, he had to follow his path there to Real Madrid. Like it or not, it was a very good proposition for him. So, we keep working.”
Richarlison mentioned Ancelotti twice more in the interview. First when asked about the Champions League, when he made sure to say his objective is to play in the competition for Everton, instead of teasing with a move out of the club, then pointed out he watches Real Madrid’s games because of Ancelotti and Vinícius Jr.
The Brazilian then played a game where he’d respond to fast questions by naming people he plays or played with. Asked about who’d have the biggest salary in a club where he’d be a director, he answered with the Italian manager.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6Bb9njiJDo
