Rivaldo

Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira (born 19 April 1972), known simply as Rivaldo, is a Brazilian former footballer who played mainly as an attacking midfielder but also as a second striker, and on occasion deployed as a wide midfielder or as a winger.

Rivaldo is regarded as one of the greatest, most skillful, and most creative players of all time.

He was renowned for his bending free kicks, bicycle kicks, feints, powerful ball striking from distance, and ability to both score and create goals.

Predominantly left footed, Rivaldo began his professional career at the age of 16, when he signed with Paulistano Futebol Clube in 1989, despite the Paulistano coaches believing him too physically weak to succeed.

Rivaldo's father Romildo was killed in a road accident in 1989, but Rivaldo signed his first professional contract later that year.

Rivaldo started his career in 1991 with Brazilian club Santa Cruz, going on to have spells at Mogi Mirim, a loan spell at Corinthians, and Palmeiras.

He went on to play for Santa Cruz in 1991.

In 1992, he moved south to the state of São Paulo where he played for Mogi Mirim in the second tier of Brazilian football.

From 1993 to 2003, Rivaldo played 74 matches and scored 35 goals for Brazil and is the seventh highest goalscorer for the country.

In 1993, he moved to the state capital paulista to play for Corinthians in the first division, on loan.

In both 1993 and 1994, he was honoured by the authoritative publication Placar Magazine with the Bola de Ouro for the best player in his position.

In the next year, he switched local allegiances and moved to Palmeiras, helping the club successfully defend its league championship in 1994 and winning Campeonato Paulista in 1996.

In 1996, he moved to Europe with Spanish side Deportivo de La Coruña, where his performances in his only season there led him to sign for Barcelona in 1997.

Before the 1996 Olympics, Parma announced that they had signed Rivaldo and his teammate Amaral from Palmeiras.

After the Olympics, there was a dispute, and rather than Italy, Rivaldo moved to Spain as he joined Deportivo La Coruña in La Liga.

He only stayed for one season, but nonetheless it proved to be a successful one for both him and the club.

Rivaldo was the joint-fourth top goalscorer of the season, with 21 goals from 41 matches, as Deportivo finished third in the league.

Rivaldo switched to FC Barcelona in 1997 in a transfer deal securing Deportivo a 4 billion pesetas (around $26 million) transfer fee, with Sir Bobby Robson convincing Barcelona to sign Rivaldo ahead of Steve McManaman by saying that Rivaldo would guarantee the team many goals.

In his first season at Barcelona, Rivaldo was the second top goalscorer with 19 goals in 34 matches, as Barcelona won The Double of La Liga and Copa del Rey.

At Barcelona, he formed a successful partnership with Dutch international Patrick Kluivert, and won consecutive La Liga titles in 1998 and 1999, as well as the 1998 Copa del Rey.

He helped Brazil reach the final of the 1998 FIFA World Cup and won the 1999 Copa América where he was named player of the tournament.

In 1999, he won the Ballon d'Or and was named FIFA World Player of the Year.

In 1999, he won another La Liga title with Barcelona, and once again was the league's second highest scorer with 24 goals.

In 1999, Rivaldo was named FIFA World Player of the Year and he also received the Ballon d'Or.

After Barcelona's unsuccessful Champions League campaign, Rivaldo was linked with a move away from Camp Nou.

Then Manchester United captain Roy Keane was reported stating Rivaldo was the player he most wanted United to sign.

In his third season at Barcelona, Rivaldo fell out with manager Louis van Gaal, when he insisted playing as a playmaker rather than on the left wing.

Even though he had a strained relationship with Van Gaal, Rivaldo went on to score 10 goals in the season's Champions League as the club reached the semi-finals.

Rivaldo notably scored a hattrick against Valencia in June 2001 which qualified Barcelona for the 2001-02 UEFA Champions League; the last goal was a last minute 20-yard bicycle kick winner and the hattrick itself is often ranked as the greatest ever.

During his five-year tenure there, he scored 130 goals, ranking him among Barcelona's highest goalscorers of all time.

In 2002, Rivaldo signed for Italian club A.C. Milan, winning the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Champions League in his only season there, however, his performances were underwhelming and he cancelled his contract with Milan in late 2004.

He went on to play for Cruzeiro, Olympiacos, AEK Athens, Bunyodkor, a loan spell at São Paulo, Kabuscorp and São Caetano.

Rivaldo starred in an attacking trio with Ronaldo and Ronaldinho in the 2002 FIFA World Cup winning team.

Scoring in five of Brazil's seven games at the tournament, Rivaldo was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in 2002 having also previously been selected in 1998.

He is an inductee to the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame.

Born in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, Rivaldo had a poor upbringing in the favelas of the city.

His physical appearance still marks the poverty he experienced in his childhood: malnourishment-caused bowleggedness and the loss of several teeth.

In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.

With success at club and international level, he is one of nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d'Or.

In March 2014, Rivaldo announced his retirement from professional football, however since June 2015 he made appearances for Mogi Mirim, before retiring again in August 2015.