Brazil's diaspora icon is playing youth football at a Tottenham side short of goals and fighting in the drop zone, and the question is why.
Brazil is home to the largest population of African descent outside the continent, and few players carry that story onto the Premier League stage like Richarlison. Right now the forward is not on that stage at all. The £60m Tottenham signing has been playing for the under-21s after being left out of the senior squad.
The timing makes it harder to explain. Spurs are struggling for goals and have been looking anxiously at the bottom of the table. Yet a proven international striker, signed at serious expense, is turning out in youth fixtures while the first team searches for answers in front of goal.
For fans across Africa and the diaspora, this is more than one man's team selection. Players from Black and Afro-descendant communities often arrive in Europe's top leagues with huge expectations and huge fees, then find their careers tested by form, fitness, confidence and managerial trust. Whatever the exact reasons behind the decision, a club paying this much and then parking its asset in the U21s invites tough questions about planning and player management.
The next few weeks will tell the story. Richarlison can use the youth games to rebuild sharpness and push his way back into contention, or this could be the start of a longer exile. With Spurs needing goals and Richarlison needing a platform, a reunion looks like the best outcome for everyone involved.
