Tokyo 2020: Richarlison says “if Brazil wins Olympic gold, I’ll get my first tattoo”

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In an interview published on FIFA’s website, Everton’s player Richarlison said that when he received the call from Brazil’s Olympic manager André Jardine, he had Neymar by his side, who suggested he ask for the mythical number 10 jersey worn by the likes of Pele, Ronaldinho and the PSG star himself, instead of his usual number 7.

“I want to see if you can handle the burden of being #10,” Neymar told him, when Brazil was playing the Copa America.

“He (Neymar) has often told me about the euphoria of winning Olympic gold in Rio and wants Brazil to win gold again in Tokyo,” said Richarlison de Andrade, who was present when Brazil lost the Copa America final to Argentina at the Maracanã on July 11.

With respect to the record held by Romário, currently the top Brazilian scorer in Olympic Games with 7 goals scored in Seoul 1988, the midfielder born in Nova Venécia (Espírito Santo) pointed out that the most important thing for him is to win gold with his teammates, although achieving the feat of becoming the top scorer in the Olympic team’s history would make him “twice as happy.”

The former Watford player said he loves soccer and the green and yellow jersey so he was happy to give up his vacation and to be with his family.

“I went to see them after the Copa America, but it wasn’t even two days. Moreover, I couldn’t be with my mother, because I had Covid, I saw her about 30 meters away and we communicated by signs, but wearing this jersey, scoring goals here and making my family proud makes up for everything,” he said.

As for Egypt, Brazil’s opponent this Saturday at the Saitama Stadium in the tournament’s quarterfinals, Richarlison said it will be a tough match, as the Egyptians beat Brazil 2-1 in a preparation match for these Olympic Games and, in addition, “managed to overcome a very difficult group” in which they defeated Australia and drew with Spain, results that qualified them for this phase.

Regarding what it would mean to win Olympic gold, the 24-year-old midfielder assured that making history would mean a lot to him and that the moment should be celebrated.

“I’ve never thought about getting a tattoo, but if Brazil wins the gold medal, I’ll get one for sure,” he said.