Rivaldo born on April, 19 1972 in Paulista (Brazil) is a professional footballer who during the last season has played for the Uzbek side Bunyodkor and who currently is a free agent after his contract expired.

Rivaldo, who can play as an attacking midfielder or second striker, is considered one of the best players of the last two decades, becoming a world class player during his years at Barcelona, which was the best period of his career. The Brazilian player joined the Spanish side in 1997 and during the next two seasons (1998, 1999) Rivaldo won the Primera Division title with Barcelona. It was probably the best moment of his career, in 1999 receiving the European Footballer of the Year and the World Soccer Player of the Year award. For Barcelona he scored 86 goals in 157 matches, before moving to AC Milan in 2002. But it was not a successful experience, as the Brazilian player only managed 5 goals in two years. Since then Rivaldo has also played for Cruzeiro, Olympiacos, AEK Athens and during the last two seasons for Bunyodkor (33 goals in 53 official matches), leading his side to the Uzbek League title in 2009.

During 10 years (1993–2003), Rivaldo has also had an important part in Brazil’s succes. His first major tournament for the national team was the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where he scored three goals. In 1999 he was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament Copa Amarica, which Brazil won in the final against Uruguay. But the best performance in his national team career came at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, hosted in South Korea and Japan. He scored in the first five games for Brazil and in the end was a deciding factor for the team’s victory. After 34 goals in 74 matches, Rivaldo retired from international duty in 2003, but has continued to play at club level until last summer.

At the age of 38 and currently without a team, Rivaldo has not officially announced his retirement from the football pitch and may very well continue to play at a lower level.

Images via fotbal-pictures.net