Rivellino

Lore & Background

Rivellino was born in São Paulo and started as a futsal player at Clube Atlético Barcelona. He moved to professional football at Corinthians, where he was nicknamed 'O Rei do Parque' (King of the Park) after the club's home ground, Parque São Jorge. The late 60s and early 70s were troubled for Corinthians, which did not win a single São Paulo state league title between 1954 and 1977. In 1974, after Corinthians lost the São Paulo league finals to Palmeiras, Rivellino was singled out by fans as responsible. He moved to Fluminense, winning the Rio de Janeiro league championship in 1975 and 1976. He later played for Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia and retired in 1981. Rivellino also played in the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cups, finishing fourth and third respectively.

Reader's Guide

Rivellino played as an attacking midfielder and was renowned for his iconic moustache, powerful long-range shooting, accurate passing, vision, close control, dribbling and ability to bend free kicks. He claimed to have perfected the flip flap. He scored three goals at the 1970 World Cup, including a powerful bending free-kick against Czechoslovakia, which earned him the nickname 'Patada Atómica' (Atomic Kick) by Mexican fans. He currently works as a pundit for TV Cultura.

Did You Know?

• Rivellino was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players in 2004.
• He is sometimes credited with scoring the fastest goal in football history, supposedly scoring direct from a kick-off after noticing the goalkeeper praying.
• Rivellino criticized the inclusion of Manaus as a venue for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, calling it 'absurd'.