There is a packed edition of the Official Matchday Programme for our penultimate home game of the 2021/22 season.
Brentford are the visitors at Goodison Park on Sunday (4.30pm BST), as the Blues look to continue their impressive momentum and take another big step towards securing Premier League status for next term.
Fan-favourite Richarlison is the cover star, while Salomon Rondon discusses a wide-range of topics for our main feature interview.
The Venezuelan striker opens up on a recent climb in status and acclaim following a complicated start at Goodison Park, the relief and happiness over reuniting with his young family after prolonged separation in China, confounding doubters who wrote him off after the Asian move, the joy of working up a sweat on the punchbag, fighting his corner in debates with Yerry Mina, and an ongoing desire to “fight and compete”.
Specifically discussing his frame, Rondon says: "The change in how I feel now from when I signed is massive. I feel really good, much sharper.
“When I came, I weighed 90kg, but I was skinny, without muscle – now I am 92kg and feel stronger.
“I like to fight with defenders and hold them off, link with my teammates and play facing [the game, with back to goal].
“I feel good and will try to keep the same level.
“Sometimes, not playing is difficult, the kilos can go up, or they go down because you are losing muscle.
“There are many things around football people don’t see. That is normal. They want to see the strikers scoring and the team winning.
“You must always be professional and work hard.
“Football is a short career and it is beautiful for me. I learned a lot from this ‘job’ [accompanied by air quotes]. Football is my passion, my life.”
Elsewhere, there are the usual manager's notes, as boss Frank Lampard describes how the victory at Leicester City weekend left him humming Spirit of the Blues all the way home to Merseyside, as well as the usual regular column from CEO Denise Barrett-Baxendale.
Gary Rowett, meanwhile, is the subject of our former player interview, with the current Millwall boss explaining why the time spent with the Toffees early on in his career - and a word from Club legend Joe Royle - set him up for a successful career in the game as a player and manager.
For all of this and much more, pick up a copy of the programme, priced £3.50, around the ground at Goodison Park or, alternatively, click here to order a copy online now.
