When Tottenham Hotspur star Richarlison scored Brazil’s two goals in the World Cup opener against Serbia, it really seemed like the national team had found their number nine.
The South American side had been struggling with centre-forwards for years, and there was huge pressure, since Gabriel Jesus couldn’t score a single goal in Russia in 2018.
Now despite Richarlison’s great start, he couldn’t keep up that form. The Tottenham forward even scored a goal in the 4-1 win over South Korea, but didn’t do much in the quarter-final versus Croatia, where he was subbed off with an injury and Brazil were knocked out of the tournament.
That’s why the Brazilian media now brings some doubts about that initial excitement. In his column on UOL, Milton Neves comes up with a headline saying: ‘Richarlison is great, but the number 9 shirt of the national team is too heavy for him’
The pundit starts by claiming Richarlison is a very good player, with a well deserved award for the best goal at the World Cup, and his charisma makes people like him even more.
“But even with pain in the heart, because he is a spectacular guy, we need to speak the truth,” says Milton Neves, claiming the Tottenham player doesn’t have the necessary level to be Brazil’s starting centre-forward. He wonders if Endrick, the 16-year-old wonderkid who was just sold to Real Madrid for over €70m, will be the one to take that role.
