Tottenham forward Richarlison started for Brazil in midweek during their defeat against Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier.
It’s been an impressive opening to the 2025/26 season for Richarlison, starting all four Tottenham matches so far under Thomas Frank. Therefore, you could argue the international break came at the wrong time for him.
The 28-year-old forward will now return to Spurs ahead of a busy schedule after the last week with the Brazilian national team.
Richarlison was a late substitute when Brazil beat Chile 3-0 last week. On Wednesday, the striker was promoted to the starting line-up to lead the line instead of Joao Pedro. The South American giants suffered a 1-0 loss away to Bolivia, who play at extreme altitude, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup.
Brazilian media uninspired by Richarlison performance
Spurs frontman Richarlison struggled to make much of an impact during his latest international display, so received a negative review from the Brazilian media.
After Brazil’s 1-0 defeat to Bolivia, Globo wrote: “Richarlison – 5/10. He was rarely called upon. On his only chance, in the 37th minute of the first half, he controlled the ball, burst into the box, and struck hard, but the ball deflected off the defender. He left the game during the first substitution, in the 17th minute of the second half. He has remained goalless for the national team since the World Cup in Qatar.”
If Richarlison wants to be in line to start for Brazil at the next World Cup, he may need to find some exceptional form at club level.
Richarlison ignored a move to Saudi Arabia last year to continue in North London, where he’s been since 2022 when he joined Spurs from Everton. Hopefully, he’s about to enjoy his best season to date as part of Frank’s new-look team.
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 2025/26 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 2024/25 | 24 | 5 | 2 |
| 2023/24 | 31 | 12 | 4 |
| 2022/23 | 35 | 3 | 4 |
Let’s see if the Brazilian star can find the back of the net when Spurs travel to West Ham on Saturday in the Premier League. Incidentally, Spurs boss Frank has a fantastic record against West Ham
Richarlison statistics vs Bolivia
We’ve taken a look at the individual statistics from Richarlison’s display against Bolivia.
| Minutes played | Total shots | Chances created | Accurate passes | Touches | Successful dribbles | Was fouled | Match rating |
| 61 | 1 | 0 | 8/9 (89%) | 17 | 0/1 (0%) | 1 | 5.5 |
As you can see below, the Spurs attacker barely got a kick, struggling to link play together in difficult conditions. It’s certainly a match that he and the rest of his international teammates will want to forget quickly.
It will be interesting to see if he continues his run of start every Spurs match this season at the weekend because he’s got a long trip back from South America.
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