Brazil forward Richarlison has hit back at West Ham United and Newcastle United strikers Michail Antonio and Callum Wilson after both players mocked him following his poor Premier League season.
The Brazilian sealed a £60 million move from Everton to Tottenham Hotspur last summer but it did not go according to plan for the 26-year-old versatile forward.
A slew of moments on the sidelines due to injuries and three goals in all competitions for Spurs is what the former Watford man has to show for his debut season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, leading many to question the fee paid by the Daniel Levy-led administration for him.
Only one of the three goals scored by the forward was in the Premier League. He had three goals disallowed, which could have increased his tally to four.
The numbers are still poor, however, but it was the manner in which they were disallowed that has led many to mock him.
The striker thought he had scored important goals on three occasions and took a yellow card for taking off his shirt in celebration, only for those goals to be ruled out by the VAR. Those moments were one of the running gags of the 2022/23 season.
Fans and people in the media took a stab at the player for the incidents. Fellow professionals Antonio and Wilson also did the same in postseason media appearances. Both players appeared on the Footballer’s Football Podcast on separate occasions and poked fun at Richarlison for his celebrations after each of his three goals which were disallowed.
Antonio would later come out to claim that it was harmless banter after his clip went viral. “Players have banter with players. We have not said Richarlison is not a good footballer or anything about his stats,” the Hammers’ forward told the BBC.
“He doesn’t actually care. If he cared, he would not be the quality of player he is – because you can’t let people get into your heads.
“If he saw the comments, he would not have thought we were taking the mick out of him. He will know it’s banter.”
Richarlison, however, does not share the same sentiments as evidenced by his social media comments when the clip was shared.
The podcast clip, shared on TikTok, elucidated the comment, “How many goals do both have in the World Cup?” from an obviously miffed Richarlison, sparking lots of fan reactions.
Richarlison scored three times in four appearances for Brazil at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with his scissor kick against Serbia winning the goal of the tournament award.
