Most footballers dreaming of a Premier League career have a greater chance of being struck by a meteorite than finding themselves propelled on to its star-studded stage.
Richarlison knows better than most about that fine line between success and failure. While the Everton forward is flying the flag as one of more than 1,300 Brazilian exports plying their trade in the professional game globally, he almost became just another statistic.
Hailing from the birthplace of ‘o jogo bonito’ carries no guaranteed ticket to the big time, as Richarlison discovered on numerous fruitless trials growing up in his homeland.
A final throw of the dice saw him gamble on a one-way journey to Belo Horizonte, a 12-hour bus ride from his home in Nova Venecia, to make the grade with America Mineiro.
“There were 12 lads there all with the same dream, looking for a place in the under-17 team,” he said. “Out of those 12, it was only two whose trials were successful - that was me and the left-back, Diego.
“We know how difficult the system of trials in Brazil is, when you have so many players chasing the same dream.”
That leap of faith has been rewarded with a steady trajectory for Richarlison. Within 18 months of joining Mineiro, he graduated to the Brazilian top flight with mainstays Fluminense before arriving on Europe’s shores with Watford in 2017.
But it was a £40 million ($55.2m) switch to Everton, just 12 months later, which unleashed his previously untapped potential. For a third consecutive season at Goodison Park, he has already produced a goal return in double figures.
Moving to the continent also boosted Richarlison’s international prospects, with Tite enlisting him for Brazil’s senior squad a matter of weeks after his arrival on Merseyside.
“The majority of Brazilian players will look to play in Europe,” he said. “There’s a better quality of life here, very well organised, very good structure at the clubs.
“I think that a young player, when they’re developing and growing at a club in Brazil, they will look to take the first opportunity to come and play in Europe.
“There’s a lot of opportunity to develop, there’s the opportunity to stand out and get called up to the national team. You can learn a lot here.
“When a Brazilian player starts to develop, grow and stand out at a Brazilian club, they catch the attention of the European clubs, that start scouting them and looking at their progress. Every player wants to come and play in Europe.”
Many of Richarlison’s compatriots would envy more than just his current location, as an integral part of a fearsome Everton frontline still in the hunt for European qualification.
Playing under the tutelage of the esteemed Carlo Ancelotti is itself an added incentive.
Not only did the triple Champions League-winning manager mentor Richarlison’s boyhood hero Ronaldo while in charge at AC Milan, but he also went on record earlier in the campaign to endorse his latest Brazilian attacker as a future Ballon d’Or recipient.
Clearly, that affection is mutual when discussing a man nicknamed ‘The Professor’.
“I think working with Carlo Ancelotti is a massive honour for us young players,” Richarlison, 23, said. “We’re a very young team so we look to learn as much as possible from The Professor.
“He’s coached the best players in the world, and I think he’s pretty much won almost – if not all – the trophies in world football, so we try to learn as much from him.
“We look to Carlo Ancelotti to help us become more decisive, to improve our quality so we look to him for help and to learn even more from him.”
Ancelotti’s quiet evolution of Everton’s squad has enabled Richarlison and strike partner Dominic Calvert-Lewin to flourish. Aided by James Rodriguez’s arrival from Real Madrid, the pair have scored a combined 31 goals in all competitions this season to date.
Calvert-Lewin’s elevation for club and country, particularly, has served as a boost in helping Richarlison feel even more comfortable in his surroundings at Goodison.
“It’s really good to play with such quality players at Everton,” he said. “Dominic, for example, I’ve been playing here with for three years and we understand each other really well. He’s having a great season. He’s scored a lot of goals.
“I watched him with the national team the other day and he scored another two goals. That’s really important – to have the help from these quality players alongside you.
“I get on really well with everyone. We’re one big family and I’m really happy here.”
