He began his professional career with América Mineiro in 2015, winning promotion from the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B in his only season before transferring to Fluminense.

[7] He had previously been close to giving up on a career in football, having been rejected by several teams, and spent all his money on a 600-kilometre one-way ticket to Belo Horizonte for his trial.

[10] On 21 November 2015, as América earned promotion to Campeonato Brasileiro Série A with a 1–1 home draw against Ceará, Richarlison was sent off at the end of the match for a foul on Charles.

[12] He made his debut on 13 May 2016 in the second leg of the second round of the Copa do Brasil, contributing to all of his team's goals in a 3–3 home draw (6–3 aggregate) against Ferroviaria.

[14] In the 2017 Campeonato Carioca, Richarlison scored 8 goals in 12 matches and was named in the team of the season as his club finished as runner-up to Flamengo.

He played four games in the Rio de Janeiro-based club's run to the quarter-finals, and scored in wins over Liverpool (Uruguay) and Universidad Católica (Ecuador) in the first two phases.

[17][18] Richarlison completed a move to English Premier League club Watford on 8 August 2017, signing a five-year contract for a £11.2 million transfer fee.

[30] On 1 July 2022, Tottenham Hotspur announced the signing of Richarlison on a contract until 2027, subject to a work permit[31] for a fee of £50m plus £10m in potential add-ons.

[35] He suffered injuries during the season and then complained publicly about not getting back into the team, prompting manager Antonio Conte to criticise him for being selfish.

Hence, there was expectation that Richarlison might take on the role of Tottenham's main striker; but by the end of the fourth game of that season he remained scoreless.

[46] On 27 August 2018, he received his first call-up to the senior team by coach Tite, for friendlies against the United States and El Salvador, after Pedro withdrew injured.

[63] Richarlison donates 10% of his salary to the Instituto Padre Roberto Lettieri, a home for cancer patients in Barretos, São Paulo state, and also supports 100 families in his hometown.

[64] In November 2021, he called for his fellow professional footballers to take COVID-19 vaccines and ignore misinformation on the topic, citing the death of his first coach Sebastião José da Silva.

[65] Though he did not endorse any candidate or party in the 2022 Brazilian general election,[66] he spoke out on social justice issues such as the environment, police violence and human rights.

[67][68] In March 2024, Richarlison said that he struggled with depression following Brazil's elimination from the 2022 World Cup and even considered quitting football as a result; he sought counseling in order to help him cope with his poor mental health.