By David Lee Wheatley
Former Brazil international forward Rivaldo announced his retirement yesterday at the ripe old age of 41.
Now president of Brazilian Serie C side Mogi Mirim, with whom he played his final match, Rivaldo pulled down the curtain on a fine career having featured alongside his 18-year-old son in a 1-1 draw with XV de Piracicaba.
He leaves the game having won the World Cup in 2002 as a crucial part of triumvirate Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and himself, while he also helped his country to the final four years prior. A Ballon d'Or winner in 1999, the Paulista native scored 34 times during 74 caps for his country despite rarely playing as an out-and-out striker.
Having moved to Europe when signing with Spaniards Deportivo La Coruña from Palmeiras in 1996, the young South American quickly found his feet in La Liga. His 21 league strikes caught the attention of the biggest clubs across the continent and he was off to Barcelona only a year into his time in Spanish football.
A glittering five-year stay at Camp Nou saw the club lift the Copa del Rey and UEFA Super Cup once each, while Rivaldo's considerable influence assisted the team in claiming the domestic league title twice consecutively in 1998 and 1999.
Of course, Rivaldo will also be remembered for the incident at the 2002 World Cup when a ball was kicked towards his thigh by a Turkish opponent before he inexplicably slumped to the ground while holding his face in apparent agony. It was one of the most blatant examples of play-acting ever to take place on a football field.
Thankfully, Rivaldo's talent as a footballer far outweighed such shenanigans and he followed up his World Cup winners' medal with a splendid UEFA Champions' League victory at new club Milan in 2003. The Coppa Italia and UEFA Super Cup also came the Italian giants' way that same year, but Rivaldo failed to make a single league appearance in the second season of his stint at the San Siro, thus leading him to a brief homecoming with Cruzeiro on loan.
Olympiakos was his next permanent destination after the end of a short loan spell back in Brazil and he got into the groove straight away when scoring many sublime goals for the Greek side. After three years there, AEK Athens took him on for one campaign previous to an unusual move on to Uzbek side Bunyodkor, accompanied by a mega-money contract. This started a worldwide farewell tour of sorts for Rivaldo, as he also went on to play for São Paulo and then unknown Angolans Kabuscorp before returning to his home country for good with São Caetano and finally back to his very first club Mogi Mirim.
It's been an incredible journey from his early days in the game, with a best period undoubtedly enjoyed in the famous colours of Barcelona. Not only is his longevity a mighty impressive statistic to behold, but also his silky skills on the ball, ability to find a killer pass and an unerring accuracy in front of goal were attributes which blended together to make him one of the finest and most versatile footballers of his generation.
Twitter: @davewh1980
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