Rivaldo's shock switch from Rio to the Reebok
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Your support makes all the difference.Rivaldo, the Brazilian World Cup-winner, agreed to join Bolton Wanderers on a two-year contract last night.
The remarkable switch from Rio to The Reebok went through after talks in which Bolton's manager, Sam Allardyce, pulled off his most outrageous coup after talks in a Manchester hotel. Rivaldo, flanked by advisers who included the England-based Peter Harrison, a close friend of Allardyce, agreed terms and the Brazilian will start playing next season, when he will cost Bolton around £40,000-a-week if he is a success in England.
Bolton were rewarded for being first in the queue of Premiership clubs keen on signing the former Barcelona and Milan player, with Newcastle United believed to be eagerly awaiting their turn to talk to him.
The former World Footballer of the Year was a free agent after splitting with the Brazilian club, Cruzeiro, who he joined in a move that did not work out. He had left Milan hurriedly after spending the entire Champions' League final at Old Trafford on the bench.
Allardyce, who failed to sign Rivaldo at that stage, will be hoping that the gamble of paying the Brazilian about £2m a year, will be rewarded through increased gate receipts and merchandising. Rivaldo should prove an even bigger draw at the Reebok than the Nigerian Jay-Jay Okocha, who is discussing a new deal with Bolton.
Rivaldo's camp had said before the talks that the player would be happy to join Bolton if the deal was right. One insider had explained that he wanted to come to England and knew the time was right. He said Rivaldo accepted that he would not be able to negotiate a deal that was as extravagant as his contracts at Barcelona and Milan had been.
Rivaldo, who turned 32 on Monday, is a role model for youngsters in São Paulo after his meteoric rise from poverty to multi-millionaire stardom through his football talent. His career made a false start at Santa Cruz, in Recife, but he subsequently joined Corinthians and his career took off. He moved on to Palmeiras and after scoring 53 goals for them in 104 games, Rivaldo made his move to Europe, the ambition of many of South America's best players.
He joined Deportivo La Coruña in 1996 and his 21 goals in his first season established his credentials, bringing a move to Barcelona for the most successful spell of his career, but he did not lead Barça to new heights. They had to play second fiddle to Real Madrid who twice won the Champions' League, in 1998 and 2002 while Barcelona were trying to repeat their European triumph of 1992.
There was disappointment for Rivaldo, too, in the 1998 World Cup when Brazil were beaten in the final by the hosts, France, but he finally enjoyed the ultimate success for a footballer when he helped Brazil to become world champions four years later with a 2-0 victory over Germany in the final in Japan.
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