(Dan Tri) – Rivaldo has all the strange, mutant qualities… of a Brazilian player.
Rivaldo’s outstanding talent
In the 73rd minute of the match against Man Utd in the 1999 Champions League, Rivaldo received a pass from Sergi on the left wing.
In the same way, but much more beautiful, in the match against Valencia in the 2000/01 season, Rivaldo received the ball from the backline.
Those goals are Rivaldo’s trademark products.
Rivaldo experienced a forgettable 1996 Olympics
There was a time when Rivaldo’s bowed legs made the whole soccer community crazy…
On the streets of Recife’s slums, people still remember the image of a slim boy with a dark body and an angular `ploughshare` face.
Those are unpredictable legs.
In the history of Brazilian football, there are two pairs of bowed legs that people will always remember.
The death of his father, in poor conditions, once caused young Rivaldo to collapse and consider leaving football.
Talking about Rivaldo, local club president Raimundo Moura once shared: `He is skinny, tall and has no teeth.
Moving to Deportivo was a turning point that helped Rivaldo reach the top
But Rivaldo’s career did not go smoothly.
In his eyes, `gladiators` like Dunga are always more trustworthy than someone who likes to paint like Rivaldo.
`I hold extremely bitter memories of this period, but it gave me great motivation to prove that those criticisms were unfair` – Rivaldo recalled.
Two years later, Carlos Alberto Parreira left his coaching position in Brazil.
Brazil brought to the 1996 Olympics an extremely excellent golden generation, with the desire to win the first gold medal.
Also in the summer of 1996, Rivaldo was at a turning point in his career.
In fact, Rivaldo is only a `lining item` at Deportivo.
In Barcelona, Rivaldo had it all
But when he only received three nods, Rivaldo was chosen instead.
At Deportivo, Rivaldo has it all.
Rivaldo, who was once criticized by coach Carlos Alberto Parreira as untrustworthy, won the hearts of Deportivo fans by declaring: `When I arrived in Spain, everyone thought I would fly back to Brazil for the holidays, participate in
As described by the Spanish press, Riazor Stadium has been turned into a private stage for Rivaldo to perform.
And after only 1 year at Deportivo, Rivaldo packed up and moved to the `paradise` Nou Camp, to replace his comrade Ronaldo (who moved to Inter).
In the late 1990s, bowed legs became an inspiration at the Nou Camp.
Those were the legs of hungry days, but in a situation where Rivaldo had everything, it was effective.
In his first season at Barcelona, Rivaldo scored 19 goals in La Liga.
Rivaldo received the 1999 Golden Ball title
By 2002, Rivaldo had fulfilled his old wish of `revenge`.
But ironically, at the time when Rivaldo had everything, he faced another turning point.
And sadly, that turning point marked the downhill journey of the `bent-bowed mutant`.
Rivaldo’s skillful hooking shots
After only 2 seasons at San Siro, Rivaldo moved to Olympiacos, then many other unknown clubs such as AEK Athens, Bunyodkor, Kabuscorp, São Caetano, Mogi Mirim… and gradually disappeared from the football world.
It is difficult for anyone to explain why Rivaldo declined so quickly, because when he came to AC Milan, this striker had just turned 30. Many people believe that his selfish playing style makes it difficult for him to survive in many environments.
But anyway, beautiful memories of football mutants always live forever in the hearts of fans.
H.Long