When Neymar was ruled out of the Copa America with an ankle injury just over a week before the big kick-off, there was reason for Brazil to despair.
But one player more than any other has given rise to renewed optimism within the Selecao ranks, and that’s Everton.
The dynamic 23-year-old winger has been a revelation for Brazil since earning a starting berth in its final Copa America group game against Peru.
He had already scored the third goal in a 3-0 win over Bolivia in the tournament opener after coming on as substitute.
And in his home stadium in Porto Alegre, where he plays for Gremio, Everton was the one player who brought the crowd to its feet every time he got the ball in an otherwise frustrating blank against Paraguay in the quarterfinals.
“He’s the one who opens up the marking, who faces up to it,” said Atletico Madrid full-back Felipe Luis, who has linked up well with Everton down the flank.
That’s a move that will likely materialise once this tournament is over for the player nicknamed Cebolinha (little onion), a reference not to him making defenders cry but to his likeness to a cartoon character of the same name due to the tuft of hair on his otherwise shaved scalp.
His popularity amongst Brazilian fans is evident and largely because he’s one of just three of the 23-man tournament squad still plying his trade in his homeland.
