Antonio on Richarlison: “I like him a lot, he deserved to have this night”
Thu 08 September 2022, 11:45|
Tottenham Hotspur
In the afterglow of Richarlison’s first goals in a Spurs shirt and match winning display against Marseille in the UEFA Champions League, Antonio Conte spoke in glowing terms about the Brazilian, and told us that he’d referenced his first interview after arriving at the Club ahead of his debut in the competition.
That was back in July, when Richarlison told us: “It's a dream, isn't it? I was even commenting with my friends that watching the TV gave us goosebumps, just listening to the theme song. So now I can be inside the stadium, listening to that music at the start of the match and playing the Champions League. I always said it was my dream to play in the Champions League, and now this dream will come true.”
Asked about hearing the famous music for the first time, he added: “I don't know, maybe I can cry, because it will be a special moment. To be there playing the Champions League, which I only watched on TV. Until last year I was there on the sofa in my house, watching the Champions League, and I said it was my time to play there. All the players dream of playing in this great competition, so I think when the time comes, I'll be quite emotional because it's a big competition and all the players want to play there.”
There tears were certainly flowing afterwards, as Richarlison celebrated the goals that spearheaded us to a vital win in our first group match with his family, including his father, pitchside.
It was a tough night against a well-drilled, in-form opponent, still unbeaten in Ligue 1. Tight in the first half, with few chances, the game changed when Chancel Mbemba was sent off for upending Heung-Min Son when he was through on goal just three minutes into the second half.
We took control from there, but the night still needed a hero in lilywhite, and it was Richarlison to deliver. First up, a powerful header from Ivan Perisic’s cross for the crucial opening goal on 75 minutes, quickly followed by meeting Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s cross and this time planting his header into the top corner.
Speaking to SPURSPLAY afterwards, Antonio told us: “I’m really happy for Richarlison, this player deserved to have this night, he’s a really good guy, a fighter, I like him a lot.
“I remember very well when we signed him, I read his interview and he said he couldn’t wait to listen to the music of the Champions League... important words. Today, I remembered (that) with him, and I said, ‘okay now, you deserve to have this chance, go now and try to do your best’. He did his best, for sure.
“This group of players is a group of fantastic people. They are important players, but I think the human side is much better, this is very important for me, because when you have people like this, when there is difficulty, I’m sure together we are going to overcome the difficulty.”
