Rivaldo’s career team-mates XI: Is there room for Roberto Carlos?
As careers go, Rivaldo’s was prestigious. With a decade of experience for the Verde-Amarela, the Brazilian won the World Cup in 2002 and scooped the individual accolade of Balon d’Or in 1999.
The 41 year-old is well known for his exploits at Barcelona but also plied his trade at Milan, Deportivo La Coruna and Olympiakos. He spent a brief stint with Uzbekistan outfit Bunyodkor PFK before returning to the humble surroundings of Mogi Mirim, where he is currently enjoying a combined player and chairman role.
The flamboyant midfielder graced the pitch with an abundance of talent across several continents, but who makes it into a XI of Rivaldo’s best team mates in a 4-5-1 formation?
Goalkeeper: Dida
First up in between the sticks is Dida, although quite how much work he would have to do with such a talented back four in front of him is unclear. The goalkeeper made over 200 appearances for Milan and was just shy of a century of caps for Brazil in a successful career. Although he was prone to errors at times, Dida wrote himself into folklore with a trio of saves in the Champions League final penalty shoot-out victory over Juventus in 2003.
Right-Back: Cafu
Although he was recently compared to Liverpool’s John Flanagan, Cafu is widely regarded as one of the best right backs of all time. He was also part of the Milan side that won the Champions League in 2003, but the defender has several more impressive moments than that throughout his career. Cafu captained Brazil to World Cup glory on two occasions, in 1994 and 2002, and is their record caps holder with an enormous 142 to his name. He played for a host of clubs in his homeland and also had a successful spell with another Serie A side, Roma, but retired in 2008 as a modern great and the benchmark many aspire to.
Centre-Back: Carles Puyol
In the heart of our defence is one club man and first non-Brazilian, Carles Puyol. The Spaniard is tough in the tackle, commanding in the air and boasts a fearsome physical presence. Although he is a member of the old school, Puyol has been central to Spain’s tiki-taka revolution of the past decade. He is a three time Champions League winner with Barcelona and has made almost 400 appearances for the Catalan giants. He has been a permanent fixture at the Camp Nou, overseeing several generations of great players while also winning 100 caps for his country. At 35 his influence is waning, but he is surely destined to continue in some capacity for his beloved Barca.
Centre-Back: Alessandro Nesta
A product of Lazio’s youth system, Alessandro Nesta spent nine years with the Rome outfit before a move to Milan in 2002. He, like many of our side, won the Champions League title alongside Rivaldo in 2003, but was also central to the club’s defeat of Liverpool in 2007. He won the Serie A title on three occasions and even added a Canadian championship to his collection during a swansong season at Montreal Impact. Nesta was a key figure in the Azzurri’s World Cup victory in 2006 and won 78 caps and is regarded as one of Italy’s best ever defenders.
Left-Back: Paolo Maldini
As we know from the inclusion of Nesta, Italians know how to defend, but none more so than Paolo Maldini. Although he was primarily a centre-back, he was versatile enough to feature as a full back and would form a fearsome partnership alongside his countryman in this XI. Il Capitano made a staggering 647 appearances for Milan in a career that spanned three decades. Although he retired trophy less from International football, he was Italy’s most capped player but has since been surpassed by Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluigi Buffon. However, he won the Champions League title five times and has an unrivalled domestic trophy haul in Italy. Few would argue he is not deserving of a place in the top echelons of the modern game.