‘I’ll trust the man’: Ancelotti has tipped Everton star to win the Golden Ball

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Everton star Richarlison faced the Brazilian media ahead of his country’s games against Venezuela and Uruguay in the coming days.

The former Watford man has not played a game since his red card against Liverpool, and the Toffees have been terrible without him. Everton lost all three games but, thankfully for them, he will be available after the international break.

The Brazilian was asked about his experience under a manager like Carlo Ancelotti. Richarlison claimed that he is learning every day, and that the legendary Italian has already told him that he will win the Golden Ball if he continues his development.

Richarlison told Globo Esporte: “I ended up learning many things. Now, with Ancelotti, a guy who won everything, he’s always telling me some story, correcting me, guiding me. That’s what makes a player evolve. I can only grow with his arrival, and who knows, I can become a scorer and grow even more as a professional.

“Ancelotti himself has already said that I’m among the 10 best strikers he has coached and that’s an honour for me. It motivated me a lot, I want to improve even more.

“He already told me that I’ll win the Golden Ball, that I’ll win several championships. I’ll trust the man’s word. Now I just need to improve, working hard in training, so I can continue to evolve.”

The Golden ball is awarded to the best player in the FIFA World Cup, which is still a couple of years away. Richarlison will be one of Brazil’s stars if he continues to develop at Everton, but he still has a long way to go.

The Brazilian has four goals and two assists in six games for the Toffees in all competitions this season. If he can maintain a similar scoring rate, Everton will have a big chance of qualifying for Europe, which in turn will make the world stand up and notice Richarlison.

A Brazilian hasn’t won the Golden Ball since Ronaldo was awarded the illustrious award in the 1998 World Cup. If Richarlison can get his hands on one in 2022, he will go down as one of the best in the world.