Rivaldo

Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira, commonly known as Rivaldo, is a former Brazilian professional footballer. He mainly played as an attacking midfielder or second striker, but also featured as a left winger. Known for his skill and creativity, he was famous for bending free kicks, bicycle kicks, feints, powerful long-range shots, and his ability to both score and set up goals. In 1999, he won the Ballon d'Or and was named FIFA World Player of the Year. In 2004, Pelé included him in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. With success at both club and international levels, he is one of eleven players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the Ballon d'Or, and is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time. He is also among a select group of players with over 1,000 career appearances.

Rivaldo was born on 19 April 1972 in Recife, Brazil, and grew up poor in the city's favelas. His childhood malnutrition left him bowlegged and missing several teeth. Predominantly left-footed, he began his professional career at 16 with Paulistano in 1989, despite coaches there thinking he was too weak physically to succeed. His father, Romildo, died in a road accident in 1989, but Rivaldo signed his first professional contract later that year.

He started his senior career in 1991 with Santa Cruz, then moved to Mogi Mirim in 1992, followed by a loan spell at Corinthians in 1993. In 1994, he switched to Palmeiras, where his transfer fee was US$2.5 million. He helped Palmeiras defend its league title in 1994 and win the Campeonato Paulista in 1996. In 1993 and 1994, Placar Magazine awarded him the Bola de Ouro as the best player in his position.

In 1996, Rivaldo moved to Europe with Deportivo La Coruña in La Liga. He stayed only one season but was joint-fourth top scorer with 21 goals in 41 matches, helping the club finish third. In 1997, Barcelona signed him for around $26 million, with Sir Bobby Robson convincing the club to choose Rivaldo over Steve McManaman by promising many goals. In his first season, Rivaldo was the league's second top scorer with 19 goals in 34 matches, as Barcelona won the double of La Liga and the Copa del Rey.

He formed a successful partnership with Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert. In 1999, he won another La Liga title and was again the league's second highest scorer with 24 goals. That year, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d'Or. After an unsuccessful Champions League campaign, he was linked with a move away, and Manchester United captain Roy Keane reportedly said Rivaldo was the player he most wanted United to sign.

In his third season, Rivaldo fell out with manager Louis van Gaal over his desire to play as a playmaker rather than on the left wing. Despite the strained relationship, he scored 10 goals that season. In June 2001, he scored a famous hat-trick against Valencia, including a last-minute 20-yard bicycle kick winner, to qualify Barcelona for the 2001–02 Champions League; this hat-trick is often ranked as the greatest ever. Over five years at Barcelona, he scored 130 goals, placing him among the club's all-time top scorers.

In 2002, Rivaldo signed for AC Milan. In his only season there, he won the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Champions League, though his performances were underwhelming. He cancelled his contract with Milan in late 2003. He then played for Cruzeiro, Olympiacos, AEK Athens, Bunyodkor, a loan spell at São Paulo, Kabuscorp, and São Caetano. He announced his retirement in March 2014, but made appearances for Mogi Mirim from June 2015 before retiring again in August 2015.

For Brazil, Rivaldo played 74 matches and scored 35 goals from 1993 to 2003, making him the country's seventh highest scorer. He helped Brazil reach the 1998 World Cup final and won the 1999 Copa América, where he was named player of the tournament. In the 2002 World Cup-winning campaign, he starred in an attacking trio with Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, scoring in five of Brazil's seven games. He was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in both 1998 and 2002. He is an inductee into the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame. He is also a minority shareholder of Romanian Liga I club Farul Constanța.