Richarlison's ruthlessness comes at perfect time for Tottenham

Richarlison scored one goal in his first 12 matches of the current campaign to go along with his lone goal in 27 top-flight matches last season after arriving for £60 million.

Like is so often the case with snakebitten strikers, Richarlison needed a turn of fortune, which came on Dec. 10 against Newcastle. His brace in the 4-1 victory busted the floodgates open. Richarlison has been through hell and deserves credit for battling through the darkest time of his career. His two-goal performance against the Magpies set the wheels in motion for his resurgence. 

For the most part, the Brazilian's recent deluge of goals coincided with Sonny's extended Asia Cup absence. Stepping up in Sonny's absence reflects Richarlison's character. While the goals, after landing at Spurs, dried up like the Sahara Desert, his tireless work rate and unbridled passion for the sport he so dearly cherishes never waned. He has finally benefited from that unrelenting hard graft.

Richarlison has shot up the leaderboard in less than two months, infiltrating the top 10 Premier League scorers. He trails leader Erling Haaland by four goals. After scoring two on Saturday against Everton in a man-of-the-match performance, the Brazilian is just two behind Sonny for the team lead.

He persevered through suffocating adversity and is now reaping the rewards. Good things come to those who wait, which Richarlison, his teammates, and Tottenham supporters are experiencing firsthand.