Watford New Boy Reveals He Slapped Himself in the Face With Awe Before Facing Man City Stars

Watford's highly-rated youngster Richarlison has stormed onto the Premier League scene with three goals and an assist in his first seven matches.

The 20-year-old Brazilian, who signed from Fluminense for around £11m this summer, has revealed he is living his dream in England by getting the chance to test himself against some of the top players in the world - including Manchester City dueo Sergio Agüero and Kevin De Bruyne.  

Richarlison spoke with Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte about how he found himself starstruck upon squaring off against City's global superstars, and even slapped himself to ensure his opponents were real.

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“Until then, I only saw Agüero and De Bruyne on TV. The day I played them, I even slapped my face to see if it was true that I would face them," he said.

Despite Richarlison's only loss at Watford coming against Manchester City, the Brazilian will always certainly remember the game with some fond memories.

“[It was like] A dream. I played against Jesus for 20 minutes while I was in Brazil. He’s a very humble guy and I even swapped shirts.

Richarlison also commented on his expectations with Watford this season, and how he has settled into life at Vicarage Road.

He added: “The fans welcomed me pretty well, even made a song. They sing ‘Richarlison and Silva’, who is the manager. I never expected that. 

"The first time I heard it was for my first goal. I was surprised watching them to see if it was really my name. When I realised it was, I got surprised.

“There’s a very big expectation. Last year, the team were on the verge of relegation, and this year it’s answering on the pitch. We are in our objectives to seek great competitions, Europa League and Champions League.”