Rivellino

Roberto Rivellino (also Rivelino, Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁoˈbɛʁtu ʁiveˈlĩnu]; Italian: [roˈbɛrto rivelˈlino]; born 1 January 1946) is a Brazilian football pundit and retired footballer. He was one of the stars of Brazil's 1970 FIFA World Cup winning team. Rivellino currently works as a pundit for Brazilian TV Cultura. He is the son of Italian immigrants. As a footballer, Rivelino (his football name only had one L) was known for his hard shots, long-range free kicks, long balls and huge mustache. He also invented his own action: the Elástico, nowadays also called the flip-flap or aka and copied by Ronaldinho and Zlatan Ibrahimović, among others. Rivelino is often regarded to be one of the best midfielders the world has ever known. Also, many people consider him the fourth best Brazilian footballer of all time, after Pelé, Garrincha and Zico. Finally, according to many football pundits, he is considered as the best player in the history of Corinthians and Fluminense.

Rivellino

Rivelino in 1970
Personal information
Full name	Roberto Rivellino
Date of birth	(1946-01-01) 1 January 1946
Place of birth	São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position	Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1962	C.A. Barcelona
1963–1964	Corinthians
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1965–1974	Corinthians	236	(70)
1975–1978	Fluminense	45	(10)
1978–1981	Al-Hilal	57	(25)
Total		338	(105)
National team
1965–1978	Brazil	92	(26)
Teams managed
1994	Shimizu S-Pulse
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early personal life

Rivelino was born on New Year's Day 1946 as the son of Italian immigrants from Macchiagodena in the metropolis of São Paulo, where he grew up in poor conditions. He played football from an early age: first in the backyards (“peladas”) of his neighborhood and later indoor football (futsal).

In 1962, the 16-year-old caught the eye of those in charge of the first division club Palmeiras, who invited him to a trial session. Rivelino's entire family was supporters of this club (the club has traditionally been supported by Italian immigrants ) but he was denied a contract. Furious, he tried it a little later at the city rival Corinthians, who recognized his talent and committed him. “Corinthians welcomed me with open arms and allowed me to achieve everything I have achieved in life. The club was my second home,” Rivelino later said.

Club career

In 1965, at the age of 19, Rivelino was promoted to the senior squad. He quickly became one of the top performers in the team and was considered one of the most hopeful players in the country. Rivelino was a classic playmaker who excelled with great ball handling, technique and long-range shots. The dark mustache and hard-hitting free- kicks became his trademarks. He quickly became a fan favorite, who nicknamed him O Reizinho do Parque (Little King of the Park).

But titles and successes were a long time coming. During Rivelino's time at Corinthians, the club endured a 23-year league without a title win. One title could still be won: the Rio-Sao Paulo tournament in 1966, which went to the four semi-finalists Corinthians, Botafogo FR, FC Santos and CR Vasco da Gama due to serious scheduling problems.

In 1974, Corinthians lost the Sao Paulo championship final 0-1 to Palmeiras of all places. From then on, Rivelino was presented by the supporters as a scapegoat for the repeated failure of the team. "That was the saddest moment of my life," he later explained and, when admiration turned to rejection, decided to leave the club after nine years.

The elegant left-footed player joined Fluminense in Rio de Janeiro. With "Flu" it quickly became clear that a good catch had been made with him. He won the Rio State Championship with Fluminense in 1975 and 1976. Here he played under coach Mário Travaglini, who had once spurned him at Palmeiras.

After the 1978 World Cup, the now 32-year-old turned his back on Brazil. He signed a well-paid contract with Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia and ended his career there. In 1981 he ended his active career.

International career

Rivellino in 1974

Rivelino made his debut for the Seleção in 1965, but it would be three years before he established himself as a regular in the team. Although Rivelino is now considered one of the most admired players in Brazil, he had to fight hard for a place in the national team as there were many candidates for the playmaker position. It was only when Mário Zagallo became national coach that Rivelino's playing times increased. Zagallo wanted to form a team that included all the ball magicians in the country. From then on, Rivelino was used in left midfield.

He was left out for the World Cup in 1966, In 1970, Rivelino was part of Brazil 's World Cup squad. He was part of the outstanding offensive series around Pelé, Tostão, Jairzinho and Gérson, who understood each other almost blindly and constantly swapped positions. At the tournament in Mexico, Brazil's style of play became synonymous with efficient and beautiful football. The team played the best and most offensive football and advanced to the final, in which Italy was clearly defeated 4-1. Rivelino played a good tournament, scoring three times (against Czechoslovakia, Peru and in the semifinals against Uruguay). This world title is Rivelino's most important sporting success.

After Pelé's retirement from the national team in 1971, Rivelino took over his jersey number 10. Brazil held the 1972 Taça Independência , an international tournament in which Rivelino participated and which Brazil won. Brazil traveled to West Germany as defending champions for the 1974 World Cup ; great hopes were pinned on Rivelino. Despite being the best player in his team (three goals), they underperformed and ended up fourth.

The 1978 World Cup in Argentina should be Rivelino's big career finale. As captain, he led Brazil into the tournament. But after disputes with coach Cláudio Coutinho, he was replaced in this function by Leão and was no longer used in the further preliminary round and the first intermediate round games. Only in the last intermediate round game against Poland and in the game for third place against Italy was he substituted on again. His international career ended in third place after 92 games with 26 goals.

In 1989 he was awarded Best Player and Top Scorer at the Pelé Cup for senior teams (over 34).

Club

Corinthians

• Torneio Rio – São Paulo: 1966

Fluminense

• Campeonato Carioca: 1975, 1976

Al Hilal

• Kings Cup (Saudi Arabia): 1980

Managerial statistics

Team	From	To	Record
			G	W	D	L	Win %
Shimizu S-Pulse	1994	1994	22	11	0	11	50.00
Total			22	11	0	11	50.00

International

Brazil

• FIFA World Cup: 1970
• FIFA World Cup: 1974 fourth place
• FIFA World Cup: 1978 third place

Individual

• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team player: 1970
• Bola de Prata Brazilian Championship All-Star Team: 1971
• CONMEBOL All-Star Team: 1973
• Bronze ball South American Footballer of the Year: 1973, 1976
• Silver ball South American Footballer of the Year: 1977
• FIFA 100 Greatest Living Footballers: 2004
• Premio Golden Foot Award (Football Legend Award): 2005
• The Best of The Best – Player of the Century: Top 50
• World Soccer: 38th Greatest Player of the 20th Century
• IFFHS Brazilian Player of the 20th Century (12th place)
• Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame
• France Football's World Cup Top-100 1930–1990: 76th place

Rivellino Media

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  Rivellino (left) playing in Saudi Arabia in 1979

Other websites

• "Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on 6 December 2008.
• Rivellino Sport Center
• Rivellino from the Confederação Brasileira de Futebol
• "IMNO Interviews Rivelino". Archived from the original on 6 December 2008.
• "Corinthians All Time Best XI Placar Magazine". Archived from the original on 6 December 2008.
• Archived 28 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
• Rivellino at J.League (in Japanese)