Richarlison has gained three million Instagram followers since his bicycle kick against Serbia
Published
| Last updated
Richarlison has gained three million Instagram followers since scoring twice in Brazil's 2-0 victory over Serbia at the World Cup.
The Tottenham Hotspur striker helped Tite's side get off to a winning start in Group H on Thursday evening.
Following a cagey first half, Richarlison gave Brazil the lead just past the hour mark after goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic parried Vinicius Jr.'s shot into his path.
Richarlison grabbed his second of the game 11 minutes later with a sublime acrobatic effort.
Loading…
Vinicius floated an outside-the-boot cross into the box, which Richarlison initially failed to control. The 25-year-old re-adjusted his body before jumping into the air to fire home a lovely volley.
It was Joga Bonito at its finest. The strikes have catapulted Richarlison onto the world stage, with his social media presence growing at a staggering rate.
At the start of the tournament, Richarlison had around 8 million followers. Since his brace, that's catapulted up to 11 million followers, according to his supporters on social media.
If that doesn't prove the World Cup is the biggest stage in the sport, we're not sure what does.
Richarlison has established himself as Brazil's first-choice striker despite the national side's depth up top.
Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Antony and Rodrygo are among those on the bench, while Roberto Firmino didn't travel to Qatar.
Tite's put his faith in Richarlison, who is yet to score a Premier League goal for Spurs since arriving from Everton in the summer.
He told reporters at full-time: "Richarlison is fantastic. You can see how he controls the ball. In the second half he created a lot of space.
"He calmed down a bit, and then he was more accurate in his deliveries."
Brazil are favourites for the competition given their 26-man squad's quality. Serbia were no easy foe, with Dragan Stojkovic's men coming above Portugal in qualification.
"Serbia was very, very good," Tite continued. "They were very fast in the first half.
"They are a team that beat Portugal in the qualification and who played continuously well in the qualification.
"They are a good team, and we managed to control them in both halves."
Featured Image Credit: Richarlison/Instagram & Alamy
Topics: Brazil, Richarlison, Football World Cup
