América Mineiro Richarlison was born in
Nova Venécia, Espírito Santo. He joined
América Mineiro's youth setup in December 2014, from
Real Noroeste. In June 2015, he was promoted to the first team by manager
Givanildo Oliveira. He had previously been close to giving up on a career in football, having been rejected by several teams, and spent all his money on a 600-kilometre one-way ticket to
Belo Horizonte for his trial. Richarlison made his professional debut on 4 July 2015 in a 3–1 home win against
Mogi Mirim. After entering as a late
substitute for
Cristiano, he scored the last goal of the match. Seventeen days later, he extended his contract until 2018. On 21 November 2015, as América earned promotion to
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A with a 1–1 home draw against
Ceará, Richarlison was sent off at the end of the match for a foul on
Charles.
Fluminense On 29 December 2015, Richarlison signed a five-year contract with Série A club
Fluminense. He made his debut on 13 May 2016 in the second leg of the second round of the
Copa do Brasil, contributing to all of his team's goals in a 3–3 home draw (6–3 aggregate) against
Ferroviaria. He made his league debut two days later, starting in a 1–0 away win against former club América. His first goal in the division came on 26 June, the winner in a 2–1 success against
rivals Flamengo, a game in which he came on as a late substitute but was himself taken off injured. In the
2017 Campeonato Carioca, Richarlison scored 8 goals in 12 matches and was named in the team of the season as his club finished as runner-up to Flamengo. That same year, Richarlison also took part in his first continental competition, the
2017 Copa Sudamericana. He played four games in the
Rio de Janeiro-based club's run to the quarter-finals, and scored in wins over
Liverpool (Uruguay) and
Universidad Católica (Ecuador) in the first two phases.
Watford in 2017 Richarlison completed a move to English
Premier League club
Watford on 8 August 2017, signing a five-year contract for a £11.2 million transfer fee. He made his debut for the club as a substitute in a 3–3 draw against
Liverpool on the opening day of the
2017–18 Premier League season. In his next match, on 19 August against
AFC Bournemouth, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win. He was the only member of the Watford squad to play every match of the Premier League season, and scored five goals over its course.
Everton Richarlison transferred to fellow Premier League club
Everton on 24 July 2018 for a transfer fee starting at £35 million and potentially rising to £50 million, reuniting him with former Watford manager
Marco Silva. In his competitive debut on 11 August, he scored twice in a 2–2 draw at
Wolverhampton Wanderers. Two weeks later, he was sent off in the first half of a match of the same score away to Bournemouth for clashing heads with
Adam Smith. in 2019 Due to the poor form of fellow Everton strikers, Richarlison was deployed in the centre-forward role for Everton's game against
Leicester City on 6 October, scoring in the 7th minute in a 2–1 away win. Four weeks later, he scored twice in a 3–1 victory over
Brighton & Hove Albion. Richarlison finished the season as Everton's joint-highest goalscorer along with
Gylfi Sigurðsson on 13 Premier League goals, while both had 14 goals in all competitions. Ahead of the 2019–20 Richarlison was handed the number 7 shirt. He finished that season as the club's joint-highest goalscorer, this time sharing the honour with
Dominic Calvert-Lewin on 13 Premier League goals, while both had 15 goals in all competitions. On 3 December 2019, Richarlison signed a new five-year contract with Everton. On 20 February 2021, he scored the first goal in a 2–0 win over Liverpool at
Anfield, Everton's first away win over their
rivals since September 1999. Towards the end of the
2021–2022 Premier League season, Richarlison cemented himself in Everton's history as a cult hero as he single-handedly saved them from relegation, providing 6 goals and 2 assists in his final 10 league outings, including crucial goals against
Chelsea and
Crystal Palace. The striker later spoke on the physical turmoil he endured during that period, to
The Players' Tribune, stating, 'My body was asking me to stop... It was my last breath, my last game as an Evertonian. A moment I will carry with me for the rest of my life.'
Tottenham Hotspur 2022–23: Debut season and adaptation On 1 July 2022,
Tottenham Hotspur announced the signing of Richarlison on a contract until 2027, subject to a work permit for a fee of £50m plus £10m in potential add-ons. Richarlison gained his first assist for his new club in a 2–0 win against
Nottingham Forest on 20 August. Richarlison's showboating during that match was widely discussed in the media, being criticised by the likes of
Michail Antonio and
Callum Wilson as "disrespectful", but praised by
Neil Warnock, who encouraged Richarlison to continue entertaining fans. On 7 September, on Richarlison's
Champions League debut, he scored both goals in a 2–0 win over
Marseille at the
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, his first goals for the club. He suffered injuries during the season and then complained publicly about not getting back into the team, prompting manager
Antonio Conte to criticise him for being selfish. He scored his first Premier League goal for Tottenham after 23 appearances on 30 April 2023, in a 4–3 loss to
Liverpool. This was his only league goal of the
2022–23 Premier League season.
2023–24: Personal struggles and return to form With just days before the start of the
2023–24 Premier League season, the departure of
Harry Kane—Tottenham's record goal scorer—was finalised. Hence, there was expectation that Richarlison might take on the role of Tottenham's main striker; but by the end of the fourth game of that season he remained scoreless. His goal-less streak followed him with the
Brazil national football team in a World Cup qualifier against the
Bolivia national football team, in which he failed to score and was substituted. Afterwards, Richarlison opened up on his recent personal struggles, as he revealed he would seek professional help for his
mental health issues. On 16 September, with Tottenham losing to
Sheffield United by a goal at added time, Richarlison came on as a substitute and scored an equalising goal, and then two minutes later Richarlison contributed an assist for Tottenham to win the match. Richarlison's assist for the winning goal, scored ten minutes into added time, resulted in a win that was once officially the latest-ever comeback win in Premier League history. On 9 November, Tottenham confirmed that Richarlison had undergone surgery on his groin. On 10 December, Richarlison made his first start since the surgery, and scored a brace against
Newcastle United in a 4–1 victory. Richarlison went on to score nine goals in eight league matches between 10 December 2023 and 3 February 2024 against the likes of Nottingham Forest, Everton, Manchester United, Bournemouth and Brentford. This run of form concluded with a brace against his former side Everton in a 2–2 draw away at
Goodison Park. On 5 May, he contributed to a goal and assist after coming off the bench against Liverpool in a 4–2 loss.
2024–25: Injury troubles Richarlison's 2024–25 season was disrupted by a series of injuries. He suffered a groin sprain in August, and made just four appearances after his return, scoring a match winning penalty against
AZ Alkmaar, in the
Europa League, before being injured again during a 4–1 win against Aston Villa. After returning to fitness in January, he scored in back to back losses against Everton and Leicester before he got injured again on 7 February 2025 during a 4–0 defeat to Liverpool. After returning from injury, Richarlison immediately made it back on the scoresheet in back to back losses again, this time against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest. Richarlison's performances in the league prompted
Ange Postecoglou to start him in both legs of the Europa League semi finals against Norwegian side,
Bodø/Glimt, contributing an assist along the way. He was then named in the starting lineup for the
Europa League final, starring in a 1–0 win against Manchester United, which saw Tottenham lift their first trophy in seventeen years.
2025–26 Richarlison scored two goals, including a scissor kick, against
Burnley in a 3–0 win on the opening day of the
2025–26 Premier League season. His performances earnt him the inaugural 'Player of The Matchweek' accolade by the Premier League. The following week, he contributed an assist for
Brennan Johnson in 2–0 away victory against Manchester City. On 20 September, Richarlison grabbed a goal back against Brighton to spark a comeback from 2–0 down to the eventual scoreline of 2–2. On 26 October, Richarlison came off the bench and provided a lofted header to assist
Pape Sarr for the third goal in a 3–0 victory at the
Hill Dickinson Stadium, Everton's first ever loss at their new stadium. On 8 November, Richarlison flicked the ball into the back of the net for what was thought to be a stoppage time winner in a comeback against Manchester United, prompting wild celebrations from the Tottenham players, only for United to make it 2–2 minutes later. On 23 November, Richarlison lobbed
David Raya from almost the halfway line to score his first ever goal in a
North London derby, albeit in a 4–1 defeat at the
Emirates. On 26 November, Richarlison scored the first goal in an eventual 5–3 loss against
Paris Saint-Germain, extending his scoring streak to 3 goals in 3 games. Richarlison followed this up with a goal in a 2–0 win against Brentford on 6 December. On 20 December, he came off the bench in the 80th minute to score a late consolation goal after just 3 minutes against Liverpool in a 2–1 loss. On 10 January, he came off injured in the first half of a 2–1
FA Cup loss to
Aston Villa before being ruled out for up to 2 months. On 1 March, on his return back from injury, he came off the bench to score a consolation goal in a 2–1 loss to Fulham at
Craven Cottage. Two weeks later, Richarlison scored a 90th minute equaliser to haunt his former rivals Liverpool in a 1–1 draw at
Anfield, earning a crucial point for Spurs in their fight for survival in the Premier League. ==International career==