Rivaldo Ferreira

Rivaldo Ferreira is a former professional footballer from Brazil. In 1999, he was awarded the Ballon d’Or. He has played for FC Milan and Barcelona FC. In the same year, he helped lead Brazil to the finals of the FIFA World Cup and was named the FIFA World Player of the Year. In 2002, he helped lead his country to a FIFA win. In 2004, Pele named him to FIFA’s Top 100 living football players.

Player Profile, Personal Life, and Youth Career

Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira was born on April 19, 1972 in Recife, Brazil. He stands 186 cm tall. Growing up poor, he started playing football for local clubs in the Recife area.

A left-footed player, he was believed to be too physically weak to succeed in football. He was eventually signed to the youth team at Paulistano. In 1991, he signed with Santa Cruz.

Professional Career

Santa Cruz signed him to their senior team in 1991. He only made 9 appearances for the team before moving to play for Mogi Mirim. He was later loaned to Corinthians and there he played 62 games, scoring 22 goals.

In 1994, he signed with Palmeiras, and in 1996, he signed with Deportivo La Coruna, playing with them for a season.

Then, in 1997, he was signed by Barcelona. He made 152 appearances with the club, scoring 86 goals. Alongside his career with Barcelona, he also played on the Brazil National Football Team, helping them to a finals finish in 1999 and a win in 2002.

In 2002, he signed to play for Milan. After that, he played for Olympiacos, making 70 appearances. From 2007 to his retirement in 2015, he played for several other clubs including AEK Athens, Kabuscorp, Bunyodkor, Sao Caetano, and Mogi Mirin.

Career Highlights:

Palmeiras

• 1994 - Brazilian Série A
• 1996 - Campeonato Paulista

Barcelona

• 1997–98, 1998–99 - La Liga
• 1997–98 - Copa del Rey
• 1997 - UEFA Super Cup

Milan

• 2002–03 - Coppa Italia
• 2002–03 - UEFA Champions League
• 2003 - UEFA Super Cup

Cruzeiro

• 2004 - Campeonato Mineiro

Olympiacos

• 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07 - Alpha

Ethniki/Super League Greece

• 2004–05, 2005–06 - Greek Cup

Bunyodkor

• 2008, 2009, 2010 - Uzbek League
• 2008, 2010 - Uzbekistan Cup

Brazil U23

• 1996 - Summer Olympics Bronze

Medalist

Brazil

• 2002 - FIFA World Cup
• 1999 - FIFA World Cup, runner-up
• 1999 - Copa América
• 1997 - Confederations Cup
• 1995 - Umbro Cup

Individual

• Brazilian Football Museum Hall of

Fame

• 1993, 1994 - Brazilian Bola de Prata
• 1997–98 - La Liga Foreign Player of

the Year

• 1998, 2002 - FIFA World Cup All-Star

Team

• 1998–99, 1999–2000 - ESM Team of the

Year

• 1999 - World Soccer Player of the

Year

• 1999 - Onze d'Or
• 1999 - Ballon d'Or
• 1999 - FIFA World Player of the Year
• 1999 - Copa América Golden Boot
• 1999 - Copa América Golden Ball
• 1999–2000 - UEFA Champions League

top goal scorer

• 2000 - IFFHS World's Top Goal Scorer
• 2000 - FIFA World Player of the

Year: Bronze award

• 2002 - FIFA World Cup Silver Shoe
• 2004 - FIFA 100
• 2006, 2007 - Greek Championship best

foreign player

• 2009 - Uzbek League top goal scorer

Team History:

National Team

• 1991–1993 - Brazil U20
• 1994–1995 - Brazil U23
• 1996 - Brazil Olympic Team
• 1993–2003 – Brazil Team