Evarito's five-goal display with Brazil in a 9–0 win over Colombia at the 1957 South American Championship brought him to the attention of FC Barcelona technical secretary Josep Samitier, who had flown to South America in search of a striker. Samitier watched Evaristo playing for Brazil during qualification for the 1958 FIFA World Cup and, impressed, made Evaristo's father a proposal deemed "impossible to turn down", with a basic wage of 700,000 pesetas/£6,000 a year (about £140,000 in 2021). The offer came additionally including a house, a Mercedes-Benz, and a club liaison officer who assisted with Evaristo's marriage to his childhood sweetheart Norma three months later. Each player had an individual fan club arranged by the club, but the players outside of training and official activity were free to enjoy life and relax in the city.