Richarlison breaks Brazil mould to sit among striking elite, according to Ancelotti

• Italian worked with forward at Everton
• He is now on the books at Spurs
• Continues to star for club and country

WHAT HAPPENED? The Italian tactician, who is now in charge of Real Madrid, spent time working with Richarlison at Everton. He has since gone on to earn a big-money move to Tottenham, while becoming a go-to option to lead an attacking unit with his country, and is considered to have positioned himself among the global striking elite.

WHAT THEY SAID: Ancelotti has told Corriere dello Sport of a forward with 20 international goals to his name through 41 appearances for Brazil: “He is a modern striker, complete, not so accurate with the ball at his feet, but his late runs are extraordinary and he is very coordinated. He is not a giant but is a great header. It’s not the typical Brazilian striker but is among the best out there.”

The Madrid boss added: ''The era of [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Luis] Suarez, [Edinson] Cavani, [Lionel] Messi and [Karim] Benzema is coming to an end. They are [over] 35. [Robert] Lewandowski will be 35 next year. The new generation is represented by [Kylian] Mbappe, Richarlison, [Erling] Haaland, Julian Alvarez and Darwin Nunez.''

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Richarlison has registered three goals for the Selecao at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with the most recent of those efforts coming in a 4-1 last-16 victory over South Korea that saw national team coach Tite get involved with his customary pigeon dance celebration.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? Brazil will – with the likes of Neymar, Raphinha and Vinicius Jr also forming part of a frightening attack – be back in action on Friday when taking in a World Cup quarter-final clash with 2018 finalists Croatia.