The talented 25-year-old had everything he wanted at former club Everton in terms of personal happiness and the adulation of supporters who loved the Brazil striker’s heart-on-sleeve approach.
What he did not have however – and was not going to get – was European football’s elite stage, and this was his ultimate ambition.
Richarson won the hearts of Everton fans with his passion and significant contribution as they narrowly escaped relegation last season but, in the end, he wanted more than the Merseyside club, so often in a state of chaos and transition in recent years, could offer.
It made the parting of the ways inevitable and Richarson made a £60m switch to Spurs.
He finally made the Champions League on Wednesday and what an impact he made, proving himself a powerful addition to manager Antonio Conte’s potent attacking Armour.
Richarson was denied his first Spurs goal by VAR against Fulham on Saturday and that will have made opening his account in the Champions’ League group game against Marseille even sweeter
Conte already has England captain Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kuszewski to call on but against a Marseille side digging deep it was Richar Lison who made the decisive intervention.
Make no mistake, this player can be a divisive figure, whether he is hitting the deck too quickly on occasion or ball-juggling to the fury of opponents and opposition fans, as he did in Spurs’ recent win at Nottingham Forest.
This should not mask the special talent Richarson possesses, bolted on to an insatiable desire for hard work and goals that endears him to his managers, team-mates and supporters.
He has already won Favour at Spurs and the manner in which he pulled them out of difficulties as they made their return to the Champions League will only cement his popularity.
Spurs had to struggle long and hard, often way short of their best, to make the breakthrough against Marseille, who were composed and organized even after they were reduced to 10 men early in the second half when Chancel Mbemba was sent off for a professional foul on Son.
Enter Richar Lison with a thumping header from Ivan Perisic’s cross with 14 minutes left and an even better one five minutes later as he glanced Pierre-Emile Haubjerg’s delivery past Marseille goalkeeper Pau Lopez.
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