RIVALDO
1989 was a tragic year for Rivaldo, having lost his father to a road accident and being himself at one point unable to continue playing soccer. Fortunately, later that year, local club Paulista took him on and offered him a professional contract at age 17. He didn't get a chance at Paulista, simply because he was too fragile for professional soccer yet, so he was sold to Santa Cruz FC in 1991 where he played his first matches and scored his first professional goals.Rivaldo's goals attracted the interest of Mogi Mirim EC, who signed him after a single season at Santa Cruz, but his big break would come in 1993, when one of Brazil's most powerful clubs, Corinthians, signed the young soccer player.
He didn't disappoint the Corinthians fans and he proved to be a decisive soccer player, Rivaldo scoring close to 20 goals in 40 matches in his first (and only) season with the club. 1993 also saw the debut of Rivaldo for Brazil's national side and he even managed to score his first goal, in a friendly against Mexico.
The next season, he found himself switching clubs again, this time for Palmeiras, who were then reigning champions in Brazil. His 2 seasons at Palmeiras were amongst the most successful in his career, Rivaldo's goal tally reaching 53 in 104 matches. This extraordinary goal/match ratio earned him a move to Europe, when Deportivo La Coruna signed him.
His only season with Deportivo was a great deal for both the player and the club. Adapting quite well for a fresh new Brazilian soccer player, Rivaldo managed to score 21 times in 41 matches, becoming the fourth league top scorer that season and making Spanish giants FC Barcelona put a $25 million offer for him on Deportivo's table. Obviously, they accepted and Rivaldo went on to play for the club that would be determinant to his career.
His 5 seasons at Barca were the peak of his career, as Rivaldo's goal tally for the club went over the 100 mark in approximately 170 matches. Winning the Spanish league twice (1998 and 1999) and the Spanish Cup and European Super Cup once (1998 both) opened Rivaldo's taste for trophies and although he did not get anymore with Barcelona, he moved to AC Milan in 2002, just in time to be crowned Champions League winner with the rosso-neri squad.
His two seasons with Milan weren't very convincing as Rivaldo was not even a first team regular anymore (he was also benched by a string of annoying injuries). In 2004, hungry for more success and a guaranteed first team place, Rivaldo moved to Greek champions Olympiacos, helping them win the league thrice, in 2005, 2006 and 2007 as well as the Cup on two occasions, in 2005 and 2006. the 2007-2008 season will find Rivaldo playing for Olympiacos' rivals, AEK Athens.
