Rivaldo’s arrival at AC Milan in 2002 was supposed to ignite the Rossoneri’s return to the top of European football. And it did. Except not in the way Milan, or Rivaldo for that matter, had planned.
Hailed by Paolo Maldini as “one of the greatest ever to pull on our red and black shirts”, Rivaldo arrived at the San Siro just a month after lifting the World Cup with Brazil in Japan.
It was a tournament that had showcased the good and bad of Rivaldo, who scored five and was named in the team of the tournament but also courted controversy after feigning injury when Turkish defender Hakan Unsal kicked a ball towards him.
Brazil manager Luis Felipe Scolari nevertheless described Rivaldo, rather than Ronaldo, as “the best player in the World Cup.”
An excellent dribbler and all-round goalscorer, Rivaldo had made his name over the previous five years with Barcelona. He was signed on the recommendation of Bobby Robson, who urged the club to pursue a deal for the Brazilian over a move for Steve McManaman.
Rivaldo repaid that faith with 136 goals in 253 games – a tally made all the more impressive by the fact he rarely played as an out-an-out striker – while also winning two La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey and both the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year Award in 1999.
He had endured a strained relationship with manager Louis van Gaal during Barcelona’s trophyless 1999-00 season but appeared to have won the battle of wills when the Dutchman left at the end of the campaign. When Van Gaal was re-appointed in 2002, Barcelona agreed to rescind Rivaldo’s contract.
“I don’t like van Gaal and I am sure that he doesn’t like me either,” Rivaldo told TV Record.
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READ: Rivaldo: The story of a great player in a not so great Barcelona team
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But it was a situation Milan and club president Silvio Berlusconi were more than happy to exploit.
Back in 2000, Berlusconi had watched on from the stands as Rivaldo scored a memorable hat-trick during a breathless 3-3 draw against Milan in the Champions League.
The haul included an ingenious daisy-cutter of a free-kick that was deliberately fired under the jumping Rossoneri wall. Berlusconi spoke in glowing terms about Rivaldo after the game, describing him as an “exceptional player” and someone they had “tried everything” to sign.
Fast-forward nearly two years and Milan were at the front of the queue to land Rivaldo’s services. As many as 20 different…
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