logo
logo

12 wonderful times Richarlison was the nicest man in the world

Michael Lee •

Dismiss him at your peril: Tottenham and Brazil striker Richarlison may look like your average footballer, all snarls and tattoos, but he’s actually a gem of a human being.

Ever since his upbringing in Nova Venecia, Richarlison has been committed to both football and raising awareness for those less fortunate in society.

So we’ve uncovered 12 times where Richarlison was the nicest man in the world.

Not a Bolsonaro fan

During the late 2010s, as Brazil fell under the control of Bolsonaro’s far-right administration, Richarlison repeatedly spoke out on topics such as racism, poverty, police and gender violence, LGBTQ+ rights and environmental destruction.

He questioned how Brazil’s yellow jersey had been dragged into the country’s political dispute, and adopted a jaguar to highlight the threats to Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands.

Missing journalists

When the British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira vanished in the Amazon in June, Richarlison was one of the first celebrities to champion the campaign to try to find them.

“On top of everything, he’s sensitive and committed to Brazil,” Pereira’s widow, Beatriz Matos, tweeted at the player after his brace against Serbia at the 2022 World Cup.

Pandemic

During Brazil’s devastating coronavirus emergency – which then-president Jair Bolsonaro called a ‘little flu” – Richarlison publicly backed vaccination efforts that the science-denying premier had actively undermined.

“He’s not only a star on the pitch, he’s a star off it too,” said the favela activist Rene Silva in a Guardian interview last month, remembering how Richarlison donated oxygen cylinders to the Amazon city of Manaus when its healthcare system buckled during the pandemic.

Raising awareness

And he’s been a social champion for years.

Racism

After Brazil team-mate Vinicius Jr was racially abused at La Liga matches, something stoked by the knuckle-dragging element of the Spanish media, Richarlison went in to bat for his friend.

“Boring situation, right?,” he told ESPN. “I even texted that guy over there who talked bullshit to him on the show. But that he can have fun like he’s been doing and I’ll hope he scores a goal.

“I called him a s***… but that he can solve this as soon as possible and don’t miss it.”

Family

Richarlison’s first Champions League goals, scored for Tottenham against Marseille in September, was an emotional moment that he just had to share with his family.

No, you’re crying.

World Cup squad

Watch this and suddenly realise the room you’re sitting in is incredibly dusty.

Roots

Despite his blossoming career in Europe, Richarlison has clearly not forgotten his roots and, in 2019, helped pay for pupils from his hometown to attend the Mathlympics in Asia after they were unable to afford the trip themselves.

People’s Champion

In 2019, shortly after paying for that group of Brazilian students to fly to Taiwan to compete in an international maths quiz, he broke protocol when receiving the most prestigious honour available to an athlete in his home state of Espirito Santo.

Requesting the chance to address the floor, he urged the regional government to invest more in education. What a fantastic way to use your platform.

Charity match

A year later and after organising a charity match in Nova Venecia that generated 6.4 tonnes of food for those in need, he was named Everton’s PFA Community Champion.

“All of us who play in big leagues and have space in the media, we have a great social responsibility,” he told the club’s official website.

“At first, I just wanted to buy a house for my parents, but then I saw that I could do bigger things.”

Son Heung-min

After Brazil’s victory over South Korea at the 2022 World Cup, Richarlison paid tribute to club team-mate Son Heung-min with a touching Twitter message.

Gabriel Martinelli

Richarlison blanked his international team-mate during Tottenham’s defeat to Arsenal, but apologised to him in his post-match interview.

“I’d like to apologise to Martinelli,” the striker said, “I told him he was diving a lot, so I didn’t shake his hand.”

Not only that, he also posted a lovely meme on his Instagram story. We reckon all is forgiven…

READ MORE: 9 players who did next to nothing at Tottenham… but shone after leaving

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the 30 Brazilian players with the most PL appearances?

Everton Quick Reads Tottenham Hotspur Brazil