Rivaldo facts for kids
Rivaldo playing for Bunyodkor in 2010
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 19 April 1972 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Recife, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward, attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1989 | Santa Cruz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989 | Paulistano | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1992 | Santa Cruz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1992 | Santa Cruz | 27 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | Mogi Mirim | 27 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1994 | → Corinthians (loan) | 22 | (11) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | Palmeiras | 86 | (55) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Deportivo La Coruña | 41 | (21) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2002 | Barcelona | 157 | (86) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Milan | 22 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Cruzeiro | 7 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Olympiacos | 70 | (36) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | AEK Athens | 35 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2011 | Bunyodkor | 53 | (33) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | → São Paulo (loan) | 39 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Kabuscorp | 21 | (11) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | São Caetano | 17 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Mogi Mirim | 12 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 626 | (299) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1993 | Brazil U20 | 9 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | Brazil Olympic (O.P.) | 7 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–2003 | Brazil | 74 | (35) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Honours
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira (born 19 April 1972), known simply as Rivaldo, is a Brazilian former footballer. He mostly played as an attacking midfielder or a second striker. Sometimes, he also played as a wide midfielder or a winger. Many people think Rivaldo is one of the greatest, most skilled, and most creative players ever.
He was famous for his amazing bending free kicks, bicycle kicks, and clever moves called feints. He could shoot powerfully from far away and was great at both scoring and setting up goals for others. In 1999, he won the Ballon d'Or and was named FIFA World Player of the Year. In 2004, the legendary Pelé included him in the FIFA 100 list of the world's best living players. Rivaldo is one of only nine players to win the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the Ballon d'Or.
Rivaldo began his career in 1991 with the Brazilian club Santa Cruz. He then played for several other Brazilian teams, including Mogi Mirim, Corinthians, and Palmeiras. In 1996, he moved to Europe to play for Deportivo de La Coruña in Spain. His great play there led him to sign with Barcelona in 1997.
At Barcelona, Rivaldo teamed up well with Patrick Kluivert. They won two La Liga titles in a row in 1998 and 1999, plus the Copa del Rey in 1998. A famous moment was when Rivaldo scored three goals (a hat-trick) against Valencia in June 2001. This win helped Barcelona qualify for the Champions League. His last goal was a fantastic bicycle kick from 20 yards in the final minute. During his five years at Barcelona, he scored 130 goals, making him one of the club's top goal scorers.
In 2002, Rivaldo joined the Italian club A.C. Milan. He won the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Champions League in his first season there. After Milan, he played for clubs like Cruzeiro, Olympiacos, AEK Athens, and Bunyodkor. He officially retired from professional football in March 2014, but he made a few more appearances for Mogi Mirim in 2015 before retiring for good in August 2015.
From 1993 to 2003, Rivaldo played 74 matches for Brazil and scored 35 goals. This makes him the seventh highest goal scorer for his country. He helped Brazil reach the final of the 1998 FIFA World Cup and won the 1999 Copa América, where he was named the best player. Rivaldo was a key part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup winning team, playing alongside Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. He scored in five of Brazil's seven games in that tournament. He was also chosen for the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in both 1998 and 2002.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Football
Rivaldo was born in Recife, Brazil. He grew up in a very poor area of the city called the favelas. Because of the tough conditions and not enough food when he was a child, his legs were bow-legged, and he lost some teeth.
Even with these challenges, Rivaldo started his professional football journey at just 16 years old. He signed with Paulistano Futebol Clube in 1989. At first, some coaches thought he was too weak to succeed. Sadly, his father passed away in a road accident in 1989, but Rivaldo still signed his first professional contract that same year.
Club Career Highlights
Rivaldo played for many clubs throughout his career, showing his amazing talent on different teams.
Starting in Brazil
He played for Santa Cruz in 1991. In 1992, he moved to São Paulo state to play for Mogi Mirim. In 1993, he joined Corinthians on loan.
The next year, he moved to Palmeiras. He helped them win the league championship in 1994 and the Campeonato Paulista in 1996. He was recognized as one of the best players in his position in both 1993 and 1994.
Moving to Europe: Deportivo and Barcelona
In 1996, Rivaldo moved to Spain and joined Deportivo de La Coruña in La Liga. He only stayed for one season, but it was a very successful one. He scored 21 goals in 41 matches, helping Deportivo finish third in the league.
Rivaldo then joined FC Barcelona in 1997 for a large transfer fee. The manager, Sir Bobby Robson, believed Rivaldo would score many goals for the team.
In his first season at Barcelona, Rivaldo scored 19 goals in 34 matches. Barcelona won both La Liga and the Copa del Rey that year. In 1999, he won another La Liga title with Barcelona, scoring 24 goals. That same year, Rivaldo was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d'Or.
During his time at Barcelona, Rivaldo had some disagreements with manager Louis van Gaal about his playing position. However, Rivaldo still scored 10 goals in the Champions League that season, helping the club reach the semi-finals.
In the 2000–01 season, Rivaldo was again one of the top goal scorers with 23 goals. In the final game of the season against Valencia CF, Rivaldo scored an incredible hat-trick to win the game 3–2. This victory secured Barcelona's spot in the Champions League. His third goal was an amazing overhead bicycle kick in the 89th minute, which he considers the best goal of his career. He scored a total of 36 goals that season.
Playing in Italy and Greece
In 2002, Rivaldo signed with the Italian club A.C. Milan. With Milan, he won the Coppa Italia and the Champions League in the 2002–03 season. He also won the UEFA Super Cup in August 2003.
After leaving Milan, he briefly returned to Brazil to play for Cruzeiro. Then, on 22 July 2004, Rivaldo joined Olympiacos in Greece. He scored many important goals for them, including a bending free kick in a derby against Panathinaikos. He helped Olympiacos win the Greek championship in his first season. Rivaldo played for Olympiacos for three years, scoring 43 goals in 81 games.
After a disagreement with the club chairman, Rivaldo left Olympiacos and signed with AEK Athens in May 2007. He had another strong season there.
Adventures in Uzbekistan and Final Years
On 25 August 2008, Rivaldo announced he would continue his career at Bunyodkor in Uzbekistan. He signed a two-year contract worth a lot of money. In 2009, Rivaldo made history by scoring one, then two, then three, then four goals in four games in a row! He scored 33 goals for the club in total.
After Bunyodkor, he returned to Brazil to play for Mogi Mirim, a club he had played for early in his career. He then joined São Paulo in January 2011, scoring on his debut. In January 2012, Rivaldo moved to Angola to play for Kabuscorp, where he scored another hat-trick. In 2013, he joined São Caetano in Brazil.
In December 2013, Rivaldo returned to Mogi Mirim again. His son, Rivaldinho, also played for the club. On 14 July 2015, Rivaldo and Rivaldinho both scored goals in the same match for the first time, helping Mogi Mirim win 3–1.
Retirement from Football
In March 2014, Rivaldo officially retired from football after a career that lasted over 20 years. He decided to stay on as the president of Mogi Mirim to help run the club and support his son. He said, "My history as a player has come to an end. With tears in my eyes today I would like to thank God, my family and all the support, the affection that I received during those 24 years as a player." However, he briefly returned to play in June 2015 before finally retiring in August 2015.
International Career with Brazil
Rivaldo had a fantastic career playing for the Brazil national football team.
In 1993, he played his first game for Brazil, scoring the only goal in a friendly match against Mexico. He was chosen to represent Brazil at the 1996 Summer Olympics, where the team won the bronze medal.
Rivaldo was a key player for Brazil in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He scored three goals as Brazil reached the final, including two in the 3–2 win against Denmark in the quarter-finals. Brazil lost 3–0 to hosts France in the final.
He was also part of the team that won the 1999 Copa América. Rivaldo was the top scorer in that tournament with five goals, including two in the 3–0 victory over Uruguay in the final. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
The highlight of Rivaldo's international career came at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan. He helped Brazil win their fifth World Cup title. He played in an amazing attacking trio with Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, often called "the three R's." Rivaldo scored in the first five games of the tournament.
In the second round, Rivaldo scored against Belgium, which the Belgian coach said was the deciding factor. In the quarter-finals against England, Ronaldinho set up Rivaldo for the equalizer before Ronaldinho scored the winning goal. Brazil then faced Germany in the final and won 2–0, with two goals from Ronaldo. Rivaldo was involved in both goals, showing his clever play. Brazil's coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, called Rivaldo the best player of the tournament. Rivaldo, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho were all named to the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team.
Rivaldo's last game for Brazil was on 19 November 2003. In total, he played 74 games for his country and scored 35 goals.
Rivaldo's Style of Play
Rivaldo is seen as one of the best players of his time and one of the greatest ever. He was a very skilled and creative player, known for his amazing dribbling, clever feints, great balance, and close control of the ball. Even though he was tall, he was also very quick and agile.
He was a specialist at taking free kicks and penalties, known for his bending shots. He could also score from far away with powerful shots. Rivaldo was left-footed and had excellent technique. He was famous for scoring with volleys and incredible bicycle kicks.
Even though he wasn't a main striker, Rivaldo scored a lot of goals. He could play in several attacking positions. During his best years, when he won the Ballon d'Or and was named FIFA World Player of the Year, he often played as a playmaking attacking midfielder, like a classic number 10. This was because he had great vision and could pass the ball really well, making him excellent at setting up goals for his teammates. He could also play as a second striker or a left winger, a position he often played earlier in his career because of his speed and ability to cross the ball.
Many experts praised Rivaldo for combining artistic skill with effectiveness on the field. He was a player who could both create beautiful moments and deliver results.
Honours and Achievements
Santa Cruz
- Campeonato Pernambucano: 1990
Palmeiras
- Brazilian Série A: 1994
- Campeonato Paulista: 1996
Barcelona
- La Liga: 1997–98, 1998–99
- Copa del Rey: 1997–98
- UEFA Super Cup: 1997
Milan
- Coppa Italia: 2002–03
- UEFA Champions League: 2002–03
- UEFA Super Cup: 2003
Cruzeiro
- Campeonato Mineiro: 2004
Olympiacos
- Alpha Ethniki/Super League Greece: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07
- Greek Cup: 2004–05, 2005–06
Bunyodkor
- Uzbek League: 2008, 2009, 2010
- Uzbekistan Cup: 2008, 2010
Brazil U23
- Summer Olympics Bronze Medalist: 1996
Brazil
- FIFA World Cup: 2002; runner-up: 1998
- Copa América: 1999
- Confederations Cup: 1997
- Umbro Cup: 1995
Individual Awards
- Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame
- Brazilian Bola de Prata (Best Player in his Position): 1993, 1994
- La Liga Best Foreign Player: 1997–98
- Copa del Rey Top Scorer: 1997–98
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team (2): 1998, 2002
- World Soccer Player of the Year: 1999
- Onze d'Or: 1999
- Ballon d'Or: 1999
- FIFA World Player of the Year: 1999
- Copa América Golden Boot (Top Scorer): 1999
- Copa América Golden Ball (Best Player): 1999
- UEFA Champions League Top Scorer: 1999–2000
- IFFHS World's Top Goal Scorer: 2000
- FIFA World Player of the Year: Bronze award 2000
- FIFA World Cup Silver Shoe (Second Highest Scorer): 2002
- FIFA 100 (list of the greatest living players)
- Alpha Ethniki Best Foreign Player (2): 2006, 2007
- Uzbek League Top Scorer: 2009
Images for kids
-
Rivaldo playing for Bunyodkor in 2010
-
Rivaldo with the World Cup trophy he won in 2002
See also
- List of men's footballers with the most official appearances
- List of association football families
