Roberto Rivelino

Roberto Rivelino (São Paulo, January 1, 1946) is a former Brazilian soccer player. He is considered one of the best South American players of the 70s and one of the great Brazilian soccer players of all time. He is famous for his powerful shot, masterful passes, peculiar dribbling and great quality in taking penalties and free kicks. He is part of the FIFA 100 list and is included in the classification of the best South American player of the 20th century prepared by the IFFHS.

Biography

The son of Italians from Macchiagodena (Isernia), he was born in the capital of the state of São Paulo. After his first attempts to enter Palmeiras and being continually rejected, he managed to pass a trial with Corinthians, with whom he signed in 1965. Rivelino stayed at Corinthians for ten years where, despite becoming a great figure, he only won one Rio championship. -Sao Paulo. In October 1973, he was part of the American team that beat the European team at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, in a penalty shootout 7-6. [1] Archived 2007-01-10 at the Wayback Machine The one who is considered one of the best left legs in the history of football left Corinthians after a bitter experience after being blamed for the defeat in the 1974 championship final against Palmeiras and the following season he signed for Fluminense.

In his new team, Rivelino became a true star capable of making amazing plays. His dribbling was electric, managing to move the ball from one side to the other in the race in a masterful way and his shots from afar had brutal power. Pioneer of a way of hitting that Branco and Roberto Carlos would later inherit, Rivelino was the key piece of a team known as la Máquina Tricolor and which won the Rio de Janeiro titles in 1975, 1976 and 1977. During that At that time, Rivelino was nicknamed the Atomic Kick, since his shots, impregnated with superhuman strength, had an effect never seen before. It can be said that Rivelino, colloquially, broke the ball. Among the curiosities, Rivelino is considered the creator of the viborita or elastic, performing it for the first time on June 19, 1975, playing for Fluminense, against Vasco da Gama, in a play that would culminate in an anthological goal.

Later, in 1978, he was transferred to the Al-Hilal club, from Saudi Arabia, because Arab soccer wanted to achieve intervention in professional leagues.

National team

Brazilian Soccer Selection in 1970

His best performances at the international level were with the national team, with which he played ninety-two games and scored twenty-six goals. Fifteen of those matches were in World Cups, where he scored six goals. When he was only nineteen years old, he was called up to join the Brazilian team. From his position as a left winger, and on other occasions as a left inside (midfielder), Rivelino showed his skills as a great player, as he stood out for his accurate shots and quality in taking penalties and free kicks.

He played in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, his team won the World Cup, and Rivelino is appreciated as one of the high-quality players in the group made up of Pelé, Tostão, Gérson and Jairzinho; Germany 74, finishing in 4th place, and Argentina 78 with Zico, finishing in 3rd place.

Trajectory

Club	Country	Year	Parties	Goles	Average
S. C. Corinthians	BrazilBrazil	1964-1974	471	141	0.3
Fluminense F. C.		1975-1978	158	53	0.34
Al-Hilal Saudi F. C.	Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia	1979-1981	57	23	0.4
BRASelection of Brazil		1965-1978	92	26	0.28
Total		1964-1981	778	243	0.31

Participations in World Cups

World	Headquarters	Outcome	Parties	Goles
1970 World Cup Soccer/Football	Mexico Mexico	Champion	5	3
1974 World Cup Soccer	GermanyGermany	4.o place	7	3
1978 Football World Cup	Argentina	3.♪ place	3	0

Honours of Prizes

Regional Championships

Title	Club	Headquarters	Year
Rio-São Paulo Tournament	Corinthians	São Paulo	1966
Taça Guanabara	Fluminense	Rio de Janeiro	1975
Carioca Championship			1975
			1976

National Championships

Title	Club	Headquarters	Year
Premier League Saudi Arabia	Al-Hilal	Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia	1979
Copa del Rey			1980

International tournaments

Title	Selection	Headquarters	Year
World Cup Soccer	Brazil	Mexico	1970