His father, Guillermo Rivera and his uncle Abimael Martinez were also amateur footballers and they both supported him and advised him about the game.
Education was very important for him; he finished high school and studied to be a physical trainer at the university.
He made his debut in professional football at age 19 playing as a substitute for Deportivo Pereira in a match against Atlético Nacional.
Deportivo Pereira was losing the game by 2 goals, and Rivera came up to play as a striker, he ended up making two assist for his team that helped tie the match.
He played in 36 games that year and scored 12 goals that helped Emelec to qualify to the Copa Libertadores as a runner up in the Ecuadorian Serie A league.