EPL: Richarlison recounts how Conte ranted about him for two hours

Tottenham striker Richarlison has narrated how former manager Antonio Conte shouted at him for around two hours during a team meeting.

The Brazil international endured a tough debut campaign at Spurs last season under Conte before the Italian was sacked by the club in March.

Conte left Spurs under a cloud in March after his position became untenable following one too many rants.

That came after a goalless draw at home to AC Milan saw them knocked out of the Champions League in a meek fashion. Following that match, Richarlison gave an explosive post-match interview in which he branded his situation “s***” and complained about his lack of game time.

Conte called the Brazilian striker “selfish”, but his overall response in a press conference was fairly measured. It seems that the fiery Italian manager reserved a much bigger dressing down for behind closed doors though.

Sharing his experience with Conte on the Que Papinho podcast, Richarlison revealed that he regrets the interview he granted. He said;

“Of course I made a fool of myself by saying in the interview that I needed time and everything else, it was after the elimination in the Champions League, but then I apologised to him.

“I even told him that if he wanted to punish me, he could. We worked it out there, then I tried to have a run again, and another injury came up. Like it or not, it ends up affecting the head as well.

“He has to show his firmness also to the group, to say that he is there, that he is still in charge. It is his way of dealing with people, with the group, and he spent almost two hours just telling me off in the meeting, in front of everyone [laughs].

“Then the players even said: ‘Richi, don’t do this anymore. Stay two hours waiting’ [laughs]. Everyone wanted to go, and we were there. Solved, fine.

“After they sent him away, I sent him a message. I apologised because he was the guy who asked for me to be hired, and I couldn’t help him as much as he thought I could. The least I could do is apologise for what happened there.”

Richarlison struggled with injuries last season following a £60million move from Everton last summer and became a lightning rod for criticism. He contributed just three goals and four assists in 35 appearances across all competitions in the 2022/23 season and has since been linked with a summer transfer. His close relationship with Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti sparked speculation he could replace Karim Benzema in Spain.