Richarlison puts his finger to his forehead. He has been asked where the gun was pointing when he was threatened.

He was 14 years old, carefree and playing football in the streets of Nova Venecia, in south-east Brazil. And the muzzle of the gun was pressed up against his forehead, the gunman issuing all manner of threats for encroaching on his drug-dealing territory.

'In that moment I was very afraid,' says Watford's new star striker. 'Because if they just pulled the trigger then it was over. He told us that if he found us again he would shoot us without any problem — me and my friends.

Watford star Richarlison has endured a remarkable journey to make it where he is today

'I think they confused me with someone else. It was drug traffickers who thought I was stealing their drugs but I was just playing with my friends. I turned away and started to run. I never went back to that street. I didn't say anything to him. I was very afraid.'

It is only part of the story of the district in which he grew up, Nova Venecia. He was back there only last week, afforded a break home after his whirlwind start to the season which has put him on the radar of opponents and scouts.

Richarlison has a deep affection for the district where his family live. 'It's a very nice place for me, a place I love,' he says. 'As soon as I got the chance, the first thing I do is fly there.

'It's the place where I have all my family, my best friends. It's a place I like a lot.'

The influences of football coaches, his mum and dad and many of the residents were hugely positive but growing up there had its easy temptations. 'In that part of the city there were drugs and weapons everywhere. But I used to sell ice cream from a cart and I used to clean cars in the street. I worked for the guy who had the shop. I would go out with his goods and I had to come back when it was dark. Whatever I sold, I took half.

As a youngster the Brazilian sold ice cream to make money, whereas his friends sold drugs

Growing up in Nova Venecia in Brazil, Richarlison made sure to keep on the straight and narrow

'The majority of my friends went to sell drugs in the street because they saw easy money; a lot of money. But I knew it was wrong so I sold chocolate and ice cream and washed cars because I knew that was the right thing to do. And I could help my mother.

'My friends always used to tell me: "Oh come here, don't be a little girl, come and smoke with us, come and sell with us, you can make much more money". But the football coaches I had, they were working with the police and they always gave me suggestions of what to do, the correct things to do and what were not. And it was the same at home. So this is why I didn't choose the criminal life.'

Richarlison's is an uplifting tale of the power of sport. He cheerfully admits he was not the world's greatest ice-cream salesman. 'I didn't sell much!' Luckily for the man with four goals and two assists this season in the Premier League, he was a better footballer.

He is part of a Watford team causing the biggest stir since Elton John and Graham Taylor's rocket men in the Eighties and who take on West Ham on Sunday. Even so, football did not look likely to be an option in his early teens.

Despite his assiduous attendance at a football school and playing with friends, no team took him on until he was 17, when America Mineiro, then in the second division, signed him. And only then did he buy his first pair of football boots.

'It was because I signed my official contract and I could buy my first official boots,' he says. 'Before I used to play with just whatever I found, one boot off one guy and one boot from another!

Richarlison has become an instant hit since his switch to Watford, catching the eye of scouts

'At 17, I also went to do a trial at Figueirense [then a top-flight Brazilian club] and they didn't accept me. It's extremely difficult as the game passes by, you're older, it's more difficult because they require players almost ready to play.

'And when I went to try at Figueirense, they had 30 trials and they would take one from each trial. So it's not easy. At America Mineiro there were 15 trials and I managed to get in but still it was very difficult. It's extremely hard, especially in Brazil where everyone plays football. But I started with America Mineiro and I'm extremely happy because I had some great moments and that's where my story started.'

He did enough in a season to earn a move to Fluminense, one of the leading Rio de Janiero teams, and an explosive 18 months there attracted European club scouts.

He seemed set to join Ajax last summer until Portuguese manager Marco Silva intervened and talked him into the Watford move.

'With Ajax everything was done, says Richarlison. 'We just needed to sign the last papers. Then Marco called me and told me I could play in his tactics, in one of the three forward positions. He told me I was going to play and he knew all about my qualities and he wanted me. I didn't think about it and I'm very glad I chose Watford.

'He gave me a lot of confidence over the phone — and that is not easy for a manager to do. I appreciated that a lot and he convinced me I was going to be very happy here. He was extremely important, especially because he speaks Portuguese. Understanding what the manager wants and how I should play has been very important.'

The 20-year-old has made a big impression on his team-mates, though so nearly joined Ajax

Richarlison admits Portuguese-speaking boss Marco Silva was a huge influence in his transfer

His impact at Watford has been immediate, his energy apparent and his body shape and ball control earning him a comparison to Cristiano Ronaldo from Jamie Redknapp.

His leanness, athleticism and ability to contribute to the team have been honed by a very active childhood and paternal influence, his father having played amateur football.

'I was always, always running,' he says. 'I was running since I was small. And it is something I also learned from watching my father because he never gave up on the pitch and was looking to score the goal. This is something I want to do now as well and I'm going always to look for the goal and never give up until the last moment and if I can give the assist, I give the assist.

'When my father played in the local team, I always used to go with him to watch him. He played as a striker. He was very good, he used to score a lot of goals. Once he scored seven goals in one game.

'His dream was to become a professional footballer and in the end he couldn't make it. But thanks to God now I made it.'

He says his family can scarcely believe he is starring in the Premier League. And he has already established friendships with compatriots David Luiz and Willian. 'I'm always at David's house. We're always together. We play video games, snooker. Who wins? Me!'

He gets his relentless running and desire to score from his father, who was a keen amateur

Richarlison is content with Under-20 appearances, but the senior Brazil side is his ambition

But a bigger objectives looms on the horizon. For now he has had to content himself with appearances for the Under-20 national team. But a trip to the hotel housing the Brazil squad playing England last week and a meeting with Neymar brought into sharper focus the ultimate goal.

'At the moment this is a dream come true, playing in the Premier League. But the biggest dream would be playing in the World Cup for Brazil with great players. I have to do my best here to try to achieve that.'

He has made a decent start.