If you can’t first get your mind right, then your body will never follow. Tottenham Hotspur and Brazil forward Richarlison is doing the right thing- getting psychological help. The troubled 26-year-old admitted so in a very revealing interview. After getting subbed off, Richarlison was seen crying on the Brazil bench during his nation’s 5-1 win over Bolívia last week.
“That sad moment wasn’t even because I played poorly. In my opinion, I didn’t play a bad game in Belém,” he said of the incident in an interview with Globo.
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“It was more of an outburst about the things that were happening off the field, which got out of control, not on my part, but on the part of people who were close to me.”
He has not yet scored, through the first four games of this season. Last term, he had just one goal in 27 appearances. One of the most over-scrutinized players in football, one tech firm did a study that found Richarlison to be the second most searched Premier League player on Google, behind only Erling Haaland.
There is a whole lot expected of him, as he came over from Everton with a massive price tag. And now with Harry Kane gone to Bayern Munich, Tottenham are going to need guys to step up and replace his goal scoring- the finger will point at Richarlison first. He is going to put in the work, for mental health, and he believes that once he is mentally fit, the form, and thus the goals, will follow.
I’m going to go back to England, seek help from a psychologist, to work on my mind,” he added.
That’s it, come back stronger. I believe I will be in the next [Brazil squad], I will work for that. It’s about getting a good streak at Tottenham, this week I’m going to sit down and talk to them, I need a good streak, get the rhythm of the game and get here well.”
“I went through a turbulent time in the last five months off the field. People who only had an eye on my money walked away from me. Now things will start to flow, I’m sure I’ll get a good run at Tottenham and make things happen again … I will continue to focus on the club, the storm has passed.”
It takes a lot of courage to stand up and speak out like this. It’s a very brave undertaking- to do the self-reflection, realize the changes that need to be made, and then to work towards achieving them. Kudos to Richarlison- he should be recognized and applauded for his efforts.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.