Everton signed Richarlison back in 2018 for a mouth-watering fee of £50m, which drew instant criticism from the media.

Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson was a notorious detractor of the deal, claiming that it had “spoiled the window” due to his belief that the Toffees had grossly overpaid.

However, 152 games and 67 goal contributions later and it is safe to say the former Arsenal striker got this one horribly wrong.

The 25-year-old quickly became a fan favourite at Goodison Park, with his skillset markedly unlike a typical Brazilian.

Whilst he has struggled to beat a full-back one-on-one and lacked massive amounts of flair, he was incredibly workmanlike and handy in the air despite being just 6 foot.

Over his five-year spell on Merseyside, there were times when it was clear he was too good when compared to his teammates.

Vocal in his aspirations to play Champions League football, his heroics to keep Everton in the Premier League last season earned him his move to Tottenham Hotspur, even if it was a move that stung.

Had the club not been plagued with years of mismanagement, perhaps they could have been at the level required to convince him to stay.

But, he did leave in a £60m move and unsurprisingly has impressed.

Playing with a higher calibre of players has seen his output improve, and now for Brazil, he is truly turning into the star Evertonions knew he would become.

Boasting three goals already at the World Cup, he remains his country’s top marksman at the competition. However, he has shown this proficiency with his characteristic personality and expressiveness.

His goal against South Korea was indicative of this, as he dribbled the ball atop his head before flicking it around the corner and latching onto Thiago Silva’s drilled pass to finish with his weaker left foot.

And yet, this was arguably not his best goal this competition, as his acrobatic overhead strike against Serbia led writer Sacha Pisani to label him “unstoppable”.

His performance against the Taegeuk Warriors was a sensational all-around display from the Spurs striker, who was deserving of his 7.3 rating.

With the score at 1-0, Richarlison would win the penalty for Neymar to convert for their second as well as providing two key passes throughout the game, via Sofascore.

However, as is always the way with the former Watford man, he recorded three clearances too so as not to shirk his defensive duties.

The world has begun to stand up and take note of what Everton fans have known for years.

A true “model citizen”, as noted by Brazilian politician Paulo Pimenta, it was a necessary evil to sell their star man. Regardless, it will forever remain a Farhad Moshiri mare.