Rivellino

Rivellino
Rivellino in 1970
Personal information
Full name Roberto Rivellino
Date of birth (1946-01-01) 1 January 1946 (age 78)
Place of birth São Paulo, Brazil
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1962 C.A. Barcelona
1963–1964 Corinthians
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1965–1974 Corinthians[2][3][4] 236 (70)
1975–1978 Fluminense[4] 45 (10)
1978–1981 Al-Hilal 57 (25)
Total 338 (105)
International career
1965–1978[5] Brazil 92 (26)
Managerial career
1994 Shimizu S-Pulse
Medal record
Men's Football
Representing  Brazil
FIFA World Cup
Winner 1970 Mexico
Third place 1978 Argentina
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Roberto Rivellino (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁoˈbɛʁtu ʁiveˈlĩnu]; born 1 January 1946), known as just Rivellino, is a Brazilian football pundit and former player who was one of the key members of Brazil's 1970 FIFA World Cup-winning team.

The son of Italian immigrants from Macchiagodena, Isernia, he played as an attacking midfielder and was famous for his iconic moustache, bending free kicks, long range shooting, accurate long passing, vision, close ball control and dribbling skills.[6] He also perfected a football move called the "flip flap", famously copied by Romário, Mágico González, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Cristiano Ronaldo in later years.[7] A former attacking midfielder, he is widely regarded as one of the most graceful football players ever, and one of the greatest players of all time. With the close control, feints and ability with his left foot, Diego Maradona named Rivellino among his greatest inspirations growing up.[8] In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.[9]

Rivellino currently works as a pundit for TV Cultura.[10]

  1. ^ "World Cup Champions Squads 1930 – 2018". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Estadao.com.br – Acervo". Acervo Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese).
  3. ^ [1] BrFut (in Portuguese)
  4. ^ a b "Futpedia" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Futpedia.globo.com.
  5. ^ "Roberto Rivellino – Goals in International Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
  6. ^ Roberto Rivelino from Planetworldcup.com
  7. ^ David Goldblatt (2009). "The Football Book". p. 129. D Kindersley Ltd,
  8. ^ "Football's Greatest – Rivelino". Pitch International LLP. 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2014
  9. ^ "Pele's list of the greatest". BBC Sport. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  10. ^ Rivellino assina com a TV Cultura at TV Cultura