Roberto Rivellino (Brazilian Portuguese:[ʁoˈbɛʁtuʁiveˈlĩnu]; born 1 January 1946), known as justRivellino, is a Brazilianfootballpundit and former player who was one of the key members of Brazil's1970 FIFA World Cup-winning team.
Rivellino was born inSão Paulo, and started as afutsal player at Clube Atlético Barcelona. After that, he tried his luck with Barcelona's biggest rival,Corinthians, where he moved on to professional football and quickly became a favourite of the fans—and was therefore nicknamed "O Rei do Parque" (King of the Park) (after the club's home ground, Parque São Jorge). However, the late 60s and early 70s were one of the most troubled periods in the history of the club, which did not win a single São Paulo state league title between 1954 and 1977.
Rivellino (left) playing in Saudi Arabia in 1979
In 1974, after Corinthians was defeated by arch-rivalsPalmeiras in the São Paulo league finals, as the star player Rivellino was singled out by most fans as one of the most responsible for not winning. He moved on toRio de Janeiro, where he defendedFluminense until the end of the 1970s. Rivellino was undoubtedly the greatest star in the excellent Fluminense of the mid 70s, dubbed "the tricolor machine", among Doval, Pintinho, Gil andCarlos Alberto Torres. He won the Rio de Janeiro league championship in 1975 and 1976. By the end of the decade, he moved on to play forAl Hilal in Saudi Arabia; he retired from professional football in 1981.
Rivellino was a key member of Brazil's1970 FIFA World Cup winning team, which is often cited as the greatest-ever World Cup team.[11][12][13] Wearing the number 11 jersey, Rivellino was deployed on the left side of midfield and scored three goals, including the powerful bending free-kick againstCzechoslovakia, which earned him the nickname "Patada Atómica" (Atomic Kick) by Mexican fans. Rivellino also played in the1974 and1978 FIFA World Cups, finishing in fourth and third place respectively.[14][15]
After his professional retirement, Rivellino started a career as a football commentator and coach (he has managedShimizu S-Pulse in Japan'sJ. League). Rivellino further represented Brazil in the1989 edition of theWorld Cup of Masters, scoring in the final against Uruguay. Rivellino is sometimes credited with scoring the fastest goal in football history when he supposedly scored a goal direct from thekick-off after noticing the opposition goalkeeper on his knees finishing off pre-match prayers.[16]
Regarding the2014 FIFA World Cup held in his country, Rivellino criticized the inclusion of the Amazonian city ofManaus with its stadiumArena da Amazônia in the hosting venues, saying "it’s absurd to play in Manaus. You start sweating the moment you leave the locker room".[17]
