The Brazil boss was full of praise for Everton’s Richarlison after he scored the winner against Cameroon.
Any eyebrows that had been raised by Everton’s big-money move for Richarlison in the summer were quickly lowered thanks to his start to life with the Toffees.
Paying Watford an initial £35 million for a player who really wasn’t up to much over the second half of last season was an almighty gamble on Marco Silva’s relationship with Richarlison, but it has paid off.
Not only Everton but the Brazilian national team are reaping the rewards of the gamble and his development has Brazil boss Tite very excited.
Speaking after Richarlison scored the decisive goal as Brazil beat Cameroon on Tuesday, Tite told the Liverpool Echo: “I was not surprised by Richarlison’s performance.
“What I saw today was the continuation of him always coming on and playing well for Brazil. In his first game, he really impressed with his incision and his finishing, both his head and on the floor.
“I’ve also seen him play on the wing for Brazil and play really well and because of his qualities in training, we can also imagine him playing as a second striker as well.
“He’s someone who’s really impressed me since coming into the team.”
Those comments should come as a massive compliment to Everton and their work with Richarlison so far.
The 21-year-old has stepped up to be a vital player for club and country just a few months after threatening to have been a flash-in-the-pan thanks to some uninspired performances for Watford – it’s easy to forget that he wasn’t even considered an option for Brazil until after his first games with Everton.
Everton, too, are the ones who saw value in moving the Brazilian centrally and appear to have solved a problem for Tite.
If Richarlison is a viable option, how does he get into the Brazil team with both Neymar and Coutinho favouring the left flank? Well, Everton provided an answer and Tite seems happy to accept it.
The big fee was only ever going to be worth it if Everton could quickly develop Richarlison into a special player and they have well and truly done that.
Brazil now share their happiness – and they should be very grateful to Everton for it.
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