The first match day of the Qatar World Cup group stages came to an end on Thursday, with Brazil picking up a hard-fought 2-0 win over Serbia. It wasn’t at all an easy one for the Selecao, who were frustrated by the sturdy Serbian side all game long.
They were unable to really threaten in the first half and were held to a frustrating goalless draw going into the break.
However, Tite inspired his side to significantly pick up their performance levels after half-time and give the Brazilian fans what they really wanted to see.
In the end, the goals didn’t come from star forward Neymar or last season’s Champions League final goal-scorer Vinicius Jr. It was Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison who broke the deadlock with a clever tap-in from close range.
But, his second goal was the one that got the world talking. Richarlison paid homage to some of Brazil’s best-ever forwards by producing an insane finish for his second goal. He anticipated Vinicius’ trivela cross perfectly and met it with a perfect side volley into the bottom corner.
The goal is already being called the ‘goal of the tournament so far’ and has a strong case for winning that award by the end of it.
The sheer technique and execution, as well as the stage in which it was scored, also makes Richarlison a prominent contender to win the Puskas award next season.
The Spurs striker’s wonderful goals also seem to have earned him a lot of new fans, some of which probably weren’t aware of him before the World Cup itself.
Richarlison saw a major increase in his followers after his heroic performance for Brazil to help them defeat Serbia. Before the game, the forward had around 7.4 million followers on Instagram.
Fast forward to 24 hours later and he currently has 11.9 million followers on Instagram. That means he has gained over 4.5 million followers in just a day after scoring that memorable volley.
Not just does Richarlison post pictures of him playing or training, but he sometimes uses his social media to promote charitable affairs as well.
Coming up from a very humble background himself, the Brazilian forward is well aware of the issues surrounding his country and tries to give back to the people as much as possible.
He has been involved in a lot of charitable causes over the last few years, donating to homeless people and those who are really struggling to live a decent livelihood. Richarlison even won the PFA Champion Award in 2020 for his charity work in England and Brazil.
He helped support social services during the Covid-19 pandemic’s peak and even visited youths who were dealing with the loss of family members.
While he might be a polarizing figure because of his goofy celebrations and trickery during games, Richarlison is an exemplary human being. He can now also boast impressive popularity with the impressive hike in followers on his social media.
So if he does win the World Cup goal of the tournament or Puskas award, it’ll be a well-deserved reward for all his good work over the years.
