Rivaldo

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Rivaldo

Rivaldo, full name Rivaldo Vitor Borba Ferreira, (born April 19, 1972 in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil) is a Brazilian football (soccer) player, currently playing for Olympiacos in the Greek Alpha Ethniki league. He was part of the winning team of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and was honoured as World and European Footballer of the Year in 1999. He is known for his play making capabilities and he is one of the best attacking midfielders of all time. He is also known for his brilliant bicycle kicks.

Rivaldo had an extremely poor upbringing in the favelas of the port town of Recife. His physical appearance still marks the poverty he experienced in his childhood: Malnourishment caused bow-leggedness and the loss of several teeth. ^*

Beginnings in Brazil

Rivaldo began his professional career at the age of 16 in 1989 with Santa Cruz FC. Two years later he moved to the state of São Paulo where he played for Mogi Mirim EC in the second tier of Brazilian football.

In 1993 the tall - 186cm - forward moved to the state capital to play for SC Corinthians in the first division. In the same year he debuted for the Brazilian national football team, scoring the only goal in the friendly match against Mexico.

In the next year he switched local allegiances and moved to SE Palmeiras, helping the club defending its league championship. In 1993 and 1994 he was also honoured by the authoritative publication Placar with the Bola de Prata for the best player in his field position.

Transfer to Europe

In 1996 he joined Deportivo La Coruña in the Spanish first division, where he stayed only for one season but nonetherless a very successful one for a Deportivo team underperforming before moving to the Catalan giants FC Barcelona - the transfer fee was an enormous £16.5 million (€24 million).

Brazil continued to call Rivaldo up for their national side. With the national team he won the Copa América in 1997 and participated in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. In the successful defence of the Copa América in 1999 Rivaldo earned himself the distinction as top scorer of the tournament with 5 goals, two in a 2-1 win over Argentina in the semifinals and two in the 3-0 victory over Uruguay in the final.

In 1998 and 1999 he won the Spanish league title with Barcelona. In 1999 Rivaldo also won both the FIFA and European Footballer of the Year honours. He is considered one of FC Barcelona's all-time greats and he is still treated with love and respect in the capital city of Catalonia.

In 2002 he signed a three-year contract with the Italian Serie A club AC Milan, where by the end of the 2002-03 season he won the Italian Cup and the European Champions League.

As his time in Milan proved a mutually disappointing affair, he left the star-studded club after a season of very few starts, partly due to injury issues. He briefly returned to Brazil playing for Cruzeiro in Belo Horizonte. In 2004 he returned to Europe joining Greek Alpha Ethniki division club Olympiacos where he won the national championship and cup with the team. Rivaldo scored some memorable goals in his first season at Olympiakos, including a fantastic effort in the cup final with a well placed lob from a difficult position close to corner flag. In the last game of that season, Olympiakos beat Iraklis in an away match in Thessaloniki, with a goal by Rivaldo. This win was essential for Olympiakos to take the championship. Rivaldo also scored two memorable free kicks during the season, the first in the local derby against the other Athens giant, Panathinaikos, and the second against English club Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League. Rivaldo scored against old foes Real Madrid with a stunning 25 yard free kick, although this was not enough as Olympiakos once again failed to reach the last 16 despite Rivaldo's brilliance and inspiration. Rivaldo is already a key favourite with not only Olympiakos fans but other greek fans who appreciate his footballing talents.

The 2002 World Cup

The zenith of his career was the winning of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan. He scored in the first five games for Brazil. Ronaldo had done so for four matches, allowing journalists to question whether there was any rivalry between the two athletes. Rivaldo refused, insisting that all he wanted was to be the world champion. His spectacular goal against Belgium in the second round resulted in the Belgian coach calling him a champion. Ronaldinho helped Rivaldo score a crucial goal in the 2-1 win over England in the quarterfinals. Brazil went on to win the tournament.

Some argue that his early performance at the event was tainted by his unsporting behaviour in the group match against Turkey. In the closing stages of the match, Turkish defender Hakan Ünsal kicked a ball gently towards Rivaldo, who was waiting at the corner flag, and hit his thigh. Rivaldo fell over holding his hands to his face instead. The referee sent the Turkish player off with a second yellow card. After a video review Rivaldo was fined 11,500 Swiss Francs by FIFA, 1500 of which were for "costs." ^*

Rivaldo had been the centre of criticism when Brazil did not win matches, especially during the qualifying campaign in 2000. In fact, in a 1-0 win over Colombia, he was booed so heavily by the home crowd that he threatened to retire from playing for his country.

He was also the centre of numerous conflicts between European clubs and the Brazilian national team. In one incident in the summer of 2001, Rivaldo had to play an exhibition match against Panama for Brazil, commute to Poland for Barcelona, and then return to Brazil for a qualifying match against Paraguay for Brazil, all within ten days.

Rivaldo is seen as a hero back in Brazil for his exploits in the famous yellow samba shirts and the impact he had in major tournaments. Between 1993 and 2003 Rivaldo played a total of 72 matches for the Brazilian Seleção, for which he scored 34 goals.

Pelé named him in his 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards Ceremony.

Career overview

Team Honours
Period	Team	Titles
1989-1991	Santa Cruz FC (PE)
1991-1993	Mogim Mirim EC (SP)
1993-1994	SC Corinthians Paulista (SP)
1994-1996	SE Palmeiras (SP)	1994 - Championship
1996-1997	CR Deportivo La Coruña
1997-2002	FC Barcelona	1998 - Championship 1999 - Championship
2002-2003	AC Milan	2003 - European Champions League 2003 - Cup
2003-2004	Cruzeiro EC Belo Horizonte (MG)
2004-2006	Olympiakos CFP Pireaus	2005 - Championship 2005 - Cup 2006 - Championship 2006 - Cup
1993-2003	Brazil	1997 - Copa América 1999 - Copa América 2002 - World Cup
Notes:	PE = Pernambuco, SP = São Paulo, MG = Minas Gerais
Personal Distinctions
1999	World Footballer of the Year
1999	European Footballer of the Year
1993	Brazilian Bola de Prata
1994	Brazilian Bola de Prata
1999	Top Scorer Copa América

External links

1972 births

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Rivaldo

Beginnings in Brazil

Transfer to Europe

The 2002 World Cup

Career overview

External links