{{Football player infobox | playername = Rivaldo | image = [[Image:Rivaldo waving.jpg]]
| nickname = ''Rivaldo'' or ''Ribo'' | dateofbirth = [[April 19]], [[1972]] | cityofbirth = Recife | countryofbirth = Brazil | currentclub = [[Olympiacos]] | position = [[Midfielder#Attacking_midfielder|Attacking Midfielder]] / [[Striker#Deep-lying_forwards|Forward]] | height = 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) | youthyears = 1989-1991 | youthclubs = [[Santa Cruz Futebol Clube|Santa Cruz FC]] | years = 1992
1993
1994-1996
1996-1997
1997-2002
2002-2003
2003
2004- | clubs = [[Mogi Mirim Esporte Clube|Mogi Mirim EC]]
[[Corinthians]]
[[Palmeiras]]
[[Deportivo]]
[[FC Barcelona]]
[[AC Milan]]
[[Cruzeiro EC]]
[[Olympiakos CFP]] | caps(goals) = 27(9)
41(17)
104(53)
41(21)
157(86)
22(5)
11(2)
46(26) | nationalyears = 1993-2003 | nationalteam = [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] | nationalcaps(goals) = 72 (34) | pcupdate = 2006 | ntupdate = 2006 |}} '''Rivaldo''' (born '''Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira''' on [[April 19]], [[1972]] in [[Recife]], [[Pernambuco]]) is a [[Brazil]]ian [[football (soccer)]] player, currently playing for [[Olympiacos]] in the [[Greece|Greek]] [[Super League Greece|Super League]]. He was part of the winning team of the [[2002 FIFA World Cup]], and was honoured as [[FIFA World Player of the Year|World]] and [[European Footballer of the Year]] in 1999. He is known for his play making capabilities and he is one of the best [[midfielder (soccer)|attacking midfielders]] of all time. He is also known for his brilliant [[bicycle kick]]s. He was named by [[Pelé]] as one of the [[FIFA 100|top 125 greatest living footballers]] at a FIFA Awards Ceremony. 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 [[Genu varus|bowleggedness]] and the loss of several teeth. [http://www.britishcouncil.org/japan-sport-footballculture-players-rivaldo-greatest.htm] ==Beginnings in Brazil== Rivaldo began his professional career at the age of 16 in [[1989]] with [[Santa Cruz Futebol Clube|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 forward moved to the state capital to play for [[Sport Club Corinthians Paulista|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 national football team|Mexico]]. In the next year he switched local allegiances and moved to [[Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras|SE Palmeiras]], helping the club defending its league championship. In 1993 and 1994 he was also honoured by the authoritative publication Placar Magazine with the [[Bola de Ouro|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, one being the equaliser from a trademark free-kick in a 2-1 win over Argentina in the quartefinals and two in the 3-0 victory over Uruguay in the final. In 1998 and 1999 he won the [[La Liga|Spanish league]] title with Barcelona. In 1999 Rivaldo also won both the [[FIFA World Player of the Year|FIFA]] and [[European Footballer of the Year]] honours. In the last game of the 2000-2001 season against [[Valencia CF|Valencia]], Rivaldo scored a hat-trick to win the game 3-2, and secure Barcelona a place in the Champions League. His third goal was a bicycle kick from the edge of the area in the 90th minute of the game, and is regarded as one of the greatest goals ever scored as an incredible combination of importance and skill. He is considered one of FC Barcelona's all-time greats and 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 EC|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, Olympiacos only wanted victory in order to win the championship, with [[Panathinaikos]] just one point behind; they've beat [[Iraklis]] 0-1 in an away match in [[Thessaloniki]], with yet another Rivaldo goal. 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 [[England|English]] club [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] in the [[UEFA Champions League]]. Olympiakos managed to keep the 1-0 lead against their arch-rivals, but Liverpool fought back to score the 3 goals needed to keep Olympiakos from the Final 16, much to Rivaldo's dismay. He scored once again in the [[UEFA Champions League]] next year, against [[Rosenborg B.K.]], a stunning 30 yard strike, and against old foes [[Real Madrid]], although this was not enough as Olympiakos once again failed to qualify from the first Group Phase, despite Rivaldo's brilliance and inspiration. As far as domestic performances go, he kept the best for the second half of the season, scoring twice both in Olympiacos' come-from-behind victory against [[Panathinaikos]] as well as in his team's 3-0 triumph against second placed [[AEK FC]], effectively securing another title for "Thrylos". He also single handledly got Olympiacos through to the Cup Semi-Finals, scoring free-kicks in both games against Quarter-Finalists [[Skoda Xanthi]]. Rivaldo renewed his contract with Olympiacos for a third and final year and promised to give his best despite turning 34 last birthday. He didn't wait long to turn his words into actions: He led Olympiacos to overturn their half-time deficit against [[Skoda Xanthi]] and scored both goals for the dramatic 2-1 victory in the first game of the season, winning [[Super League Greece | Greek SuperLeague's]] first-ever Player of the Week and Goal of the Week awards. Rivaldo is one of the few players that is a universal favourite to all Greek fans, such is their appreciation of his footballing talents. ==The 2002 World Cup== The zenith of his career was the winning of the [[2002 FIFA World Cup|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 national football team|Turkey]]. In the closing stages of the match, with the ball out of play, Turkish defender [[Hakan Ünsal]] kicked a ball towards Rivaldo, who was waiting at the corner flag. The ball struck his thigh, but Rivaldo fell to the ground clutching his face. 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." [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/06/05/1022982720138.html] Rivaldo had been the centre of criticism when Brazil did not win matches, especially during the qualifying campaign in 2000. Many said that he saved his best form for his club teams. 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 at the centre of numerous [[tug of war]]s 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. Now, 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 [[FIFA 100|125 Greatest Living Footballers]] at a FIFA Awards Ceremony. {{MedalTop}} {{MedalSport|Men's [[Football (soccer)|Football]]}} {{MedalBronze|[[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]] | [[Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics|Team's competition]]}} {{MedalBottom}} ==Career overview== {| class="wikitable" |- !Colspan=3|Team Honours |- Colspan=3 !style="text-align:left"|Period !style="text-align:left"|Team !style="text-align:left"|Titles |- |1989-1991||{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Santa Cruz Futebol Clube|Santa Cruz FC]] (PE)|| |- |1991-1993||{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Mogi Mirim Esporte Clube|Mogi Mirim EC]] (SP)|| |- |1993-1994||{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Sport Club Corinthians Paulista|SC Corinthians Paulista]] (SP)|| |- |1994-1996||{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras|SE Palmeiras]] (SP)||1994 - Championship |- |1996-1997||{{flagicon|Spain}} [[Deportivo La Coruña|CR Deportivo La Coruña]]|| |- style="vertical-align:top" |1997-2002||{{flagicon|Spain}} [[FC Barcelona]]||1998 - Championship
1999 - Championship |- style="vertical-align:top" |2002-2003||{{flagicon|Italy}} [[AC Milan]]||2003 - European Champions League
2003 - National Cup |- |2003-2004||{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Cruzeiro EC]] (MG)|| |- style="vertical-align:top" |2004-2006||{{flagicon|Greece}} [[Olympiacos CFP|Olympiakos CFP]] ||2005 - Championship
2005 - Cup
2006 - Championship
2006 - Cup |- style="vertical-align:top" |- style="vertical-align:top" |1993-2003||{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Brazilian national football team|Brazil]]||1997 - Copa América
1999 - Copa América
2002 - World Cup |- |Notes: |Colspan=2|PE = [[Pernambuco]], SP = [[São Paulo]], MG = [[Minas Gerais]] |- !Colspan=3|Personal Distinctions |- |1999 |Colspan=2|World Footballer of the Year |- |1999 |Colspan=2|[[European Footballer of the Year]] |- |1993 |Colspan=2|Brazilian Bola de Prata |- |1994 |Colspan=2|Brazilian Bola de Prata |- |1999 |Colspan=2|Top Scorer Copa América |} ==Retirement== In July 2006, Rivaldo announced that the upcoming 2006-2007 [[Olympiacos]] season will be his last in Europe. He will return to Brazil in order to be closer to his family, where he plans to stay in the game for at least one more year. He is hoping that his son will finally get to see him play up-close. ==External links== *[http://www.ribo.gr Rivaldo Olympiacos fan site] *[http://rivaldofans.ifrance.com/ Rivaldo site (french)] *[http://www.soccerfanatics.net/soccervideo/5661721l.wmv.html Rivaldo the Samba legend] *[http://www.footballdatabase.com/site/players/index.php?dumpPlayer=1100 FootballDatabase provides Rivaldo's profile and stats] *[http://www.olympiacos.org Olympiacos Football Club] *[http://youtube.com/watch?v=CS8b8Q5bs2s clip of some Rivaldo goals] {{start box}} {{succession box|title=[[European Footballer of the Year]]|before=[[Zinedine Zidane]] |after=[[Luís Figo]]|years=1999}} {{succession box|title=[[FIFA World Player of the Year]]|before=[[Zinedine Zidane]]|after=[[Zinedine Zidane]]|years=1999}} {{end box}} {{Template:Brazil Squad 1998 World Cup}} {{Brazil Squad 2002 World Cup}} {{Template:Olympiacos Squad}} [[Category:1972 births]] [[Category:Living people|Rivaldo]] [[Category:A.C. Milan players|Rivaldo]] [[Category:Afro-Brazilians|Rivaldo]] [[Category:Brazilian footballers|Rivaldo]] [[Category:Sport Club Corinthians Paulista players|Rivaldo]] [[Category:Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras players|Rivaldo]] [[Category:Cruzeiro Esporte Clube players|Rivaldo]] [[Category:European Footballers of the Year|Rivaldo]] [[Category:FIFA 100|Rivaldo]] [[Category:FIFA World Cup 1998 players|Rivaldo]] [[Category:FIFA World Cup 2002 players|Rivaldo]] [[Category:FIFA World Cup goalscorers|Rivaldo]] [[Category:FIFA World Cup-winning players|Rivaldo]] [[Category:FIFA World Players of the Year|Rivaldo]] [[Category:La Liga footballers|Rivaldo]] [[Category:Deportivo de La Coruña players|Rivaldo]] [[Category:FC Barcelona footballers|Rivaldo]] [[Category:Football (soccer) strikers|Rivaldo]] [[Category:Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics|Rivaldo]] [[Category:Olympiacos footballers|Rivaldo]] [[Category:Olympic competitors for Brazil|Rivaldo]] [[Category:Left-footed football (soccer) players|Rivaldo]] [[ar:ريفالدو]] [[bg:Ривалдо]] [[de:Rivaldo]] [[el:Ριβάλντο]] [[es:Rivaldo]] [[fr:Rivaldo]] [[it:Rivaldo]] [[he:ריבאלדו]] [[lv:Rivaldo]] [[nl:Rivaldo]] [[ja:リバウド]] [[pl:Rivaldo]] [[pt:Rivaldo Vitor Borba Ferreira]] [[sl:Rivaldo]] [[sr:Ривалдо]] [[fi:Rivaldo]] [[sv:Rivaldo]] [[th:ริวัลโด]] [[vi:Rivaldo]] [[tr:Rivaldo]] [[zh:里瓦尔多]]