Everton star Richarlison isn’t tired of saying how much he battled to play in the Copa America and the Olympics this summer.
The Brazilian forward had to convince the Toffees to let him feature in both tournaments for the national team, and highlighted his effort once again today.
Brazil played their first game in Tokyo against Germany on Thursday morning, and it only took 30 minutes for Richarlison to score a hat-trick in a match which finished 4-2.
The Everton striker spoke to Band Sports afterwards, and besides showing his happiness for scoring the first hat-trick of his career, he highlighted his desire to be playing this tournament.
“My first hat-trick, especially with this shirt, is very special. I fought there at Everton to be here, to honour this shirt, so I hope to stay that way,” Richarlison told Band Sports.
“Since 2019, I’ve been fighting there at Everton to be in the Olympics. And they said they were going to release me only for one competition: Copa America or the Olympics. So I already had it in my head: first I’m going to play the Copa America and then fight there to play here, because, like it or not, I’m have the age. And that’s what I did. Unfortunately, we lost in the final, I was very down, but my family gave me a lot of strength to be here tonight.”
Brazil now play Ivory Coast and Saudi Arabia for Group D. Football will be played in the Olympics until the 7th of August, so that’s how long Everton could be waiting for Richarlison to join them for pre-season.
Recent news from Brazil said the player is wanted by Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, and many people wonder if by letting him participate in both tournaments, the Toffees are looking to convince him to stay at Goodison Park for one more year.
