[8] With success at club and international level, he is one of nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d'Or.

In 1996, he moved to Europe with Spanish side Deportivo de La Coruña, where his performances in his only season there led him to sign for Barcelona in 1997.

At Barcelona, he formed a successful partnership with Dutch international Patrick Kluivert, and won consecutive La Liga titles in 1998 and 1999, as well as the 1998 Copa del Rey.

[9] He helped Brazil reach the final of the 1998 FIFA World Cup and won the 1999 Copa América where he was named player of the tournament.

Scoring in five of Brazil's seven games at the tournament, Rivaldo was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in 2002 having also previously been selected in 1998.

[17] In the next year, he switched local allegiances and moved to Palmeiras, helping the club successfully defend its league championship in 1994 and winning Campeonato Paulista in 1996.

In his third season at Barcelona, Rivaldo fell out with manager Louis van Gaal, when he insisted playing as a playmaker rather than on the left wing.

[25] Even though he had a strained relationship with Van Gaal, Rivaldo went on to score 10 goals in the season's Champions League as the club reached the semi-finals.

[6] Frequently ranked the greatest hat-trick ever,[5][24][26] his first goal was a trademark bending free kick that curled into the bottom right corner,[24] the second saw him send the Valencia player the wrong way with a feint before a strike with little back-lift from 25 yards swerved into the bottom left corner of the net,[27] and his match-winning third occurred after Rivaldo controlled the ball with the chest from the edge of the 18-yard box and executed an overhead bicycle kick in the 89th minute, which he regards as the best goal of his career.

[28] An ecstatic Rivaldo ripped off his jersey and started swinging it over his head during his goal celebrations, while Barcelona club president Joan Gaspart broke with convention in the stadium's VIP box by punching the air with both fists and yelling his delight next to the opposition delegation.

[34] Rivaldo decided to return to Brazil in early 2004, by appointment of coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo who convinced him to play for the club, becoming Cruzeiro's major signing for the Copa Libertadores.

[37] In the last game of Rivaldo's first season at Olympiacos, the club needed a victory in order to win the Alpha Ethniki championship, with Panathinaikos just one point behind.

Rivaldo had stated his intention to leave Greece if the ruling went in favour of Olympiakos and AEK Athens were not declared champions.

"[39] Rivaldo announced on 25 August 2008 to a Greek Sport Radio Station that he agreed to continue his career at Bunyodkor in Uzbekistan, effective immediately, after what he described as an "extremely tempting contract offer".

[46] In January 2013, Rivaldo joined São Caetano of Brazil's Serie B, signing a deal that ran to December.

[50] In March 2014, the Brazilian icon officially retired from football after a career which spanned more than 20 years, and he decided to remain as the president of Mogi Mirim to help run the club and to look after his son, Rivaldinho.

[53] The player denied that a deal was made, as he signed a pre-contract in which the club must achieve promotion from National (third tier in the Moroccan league).

[15] Rivaldo returned to the Brazil national team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where he scored three goals en route to the final, including two in the 3–2 quarter-final win against Denmark.

Rivaldo finished the tournament as the top scorer, with five goals; one being an equaliser from a free-kick in a 2–1 win over Argentina in the quarter-finals, and two in the 3–0 victory over Uruguay in the final.

[51] On the eve of the final, Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho warmed up in the Yokohama Stadium by merrily trying to out-wizard each other in the Japanese drizzle.

Rivaldo's goal against Belgium in the second round prompted Belgian coach Robert Waseige to name him as the deciding factor.

[5][72] A dead-ball specialist, Rivaldo was renowned for his bending free kicks and penalty taking, as well as his ability to score from distance with powerful strikes.

[5][71] Left footed and possessing excellent technique, he was also known for his ball striking from volleys, and for having a penchant for scoring from bicycle kicks.

His wiry strength allowed him to bounce off defenders, he was an outstanding dribbler, and he had a left foot that was both educated and thuggish, subtle and a sledgehammer.

Brazil's bandy-legged genius was the most unstoppable footballer since Maradona.Although he was not a true striker, Rivaldo was a prolific goalscorer, capable of playing in several creative and offensive positions: during the prime of his career, a period where he won the Ballon d'Or and was named FIFA World Player of the Year, he was often deployed in a playmaking attacking midfield role as a classic number 10, due to his vision and passing ability, which made him an excellent assist provider.

[5] He could also function as a second striker, or as a left winger, a position which he often occupied earlier in his career, due to his acceleration and crossing ability.

[5][6][73] In 2002, John Carlin of The Guardian noted that Rivaldo "combines to dazzling effect the two essential qualities of the ideal footballer: artistry and efficiency.

"[27] His colleague, Rob Smyth, echoed his views in 2008, commenting: "if you could marry British will with continental skill, you would have the perfect footballer.

Since then, however, perhaps only Rivaldo has fused the two qualities," noting that like the Argentinian, the Brazilian had "bronca" (the word used repeatedly in Maradona's autobiography to refer to "anger, fury, hatred, resentment, bitter discontent).

[5] Former Dutch international Ruud Gullit believed that Rivaldo's ability and qualities were often overlooked, as "he played in the same era as Brazilian counterparts Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.