Brazil’s Richarlison Explains Why He Tattooed His Own Face on His Back

When you’re heading out on the road, what’s your packing style? 

I’m very practical. I travel with a backpack. I take two sets of clothes, a couple of iPads to keep myself entertained, and my cosmetic kit with all my skincare and fragrances. I try to keep things as light as possible. 

You mentioned your skincare routine. Do you feel like looking and feeling your best before a match helps you perform better on the pitch? 

Yes, actually, but I care more about my hair than my skin. I get a haircut before every single match, because I think it’s good luck. 

You said recently that Brazil’s World Cup exit felt as painful as losing a family member. I know the wound probably still feels fresh, but a few months on, how do you reflect on your time in Qatar last year?

It’s been a while since Qatar, so I do feel better now. But anytime I see anything about the World Cup on TV or social media, I feel that pain of losing all over again. At the same time, though, I’m young. I still have at least two more World Cups ahead of me. So I’m trying my best to stay focused on the present—preparing for the rest of the season with Tottenham, as well as those future World Cups, and not dwell too much on the past. 

Did the experience of your first World Cup change you at all? What were the biggest lessons you took away from the tournament, and how will you prepare differently for the next go-round? 

When I went to Italy [for Brazil’s World Cup training camp in November], Casemiro told me how difficult it is to play in a World Cup—how much pressure there was going to be—and I tried to prepare myself psychologically and physically as much as possible. But the experience of actually being there was bigger and more electric than I could’ve ever imagined. Now that I’ve been through it once, I’m even more eager to train more, gain more experience, get better, and win as many titles as I can before the next World Cup. That’s my focus right now.