Roberto Rivellino in 1974
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Personal information | |||
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Full name | Roberto Rivellino | ||
Date of birth | 1 January 1946 | ||
Place of birth | São Paulo, SP, Brazil | ||
Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
Youth career | |||
1962 | Barcelona | ||
1963–1965 | Corinthians | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1965–1974 | Corinthians | 471 | (141) |
1974–1978 | Fluminense | 158 | (53) |
1979–1981 | Al Hilal | 57 | (23) |
Total | 686 | (217) | |
National team | |||
1965–1978 | Brazil | 122 | (43) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
Roberto Rivellino (also Rivelino, Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁoˈbɛʁtu ʁiveˈlĩnu]; Italian: [roˈbɛrto rivelˈlino]; born 1 January 1946 in São Paulo) is a former Brazilian professional footballer. He was one of the stars of Brazil's 1970 FIFA World Cup winning team. Rivellino currently works as a pundit for Brazilian TV Cultura.
The son of Italian immigrants from Macchiagodena (Isernia), he was famous for his large moustache, bending free kicks, long range shooting, accurate long passing, vision, close ball control and dribbling skills. He also perfected a football move called the "flip flap", famously copied by Romário, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Cristiano Ronaldo in recent years. A former attacking midfielder, he is widely regarded as one of the most graceful football players ever, and among the best midfielders of his generation. With the close control, feints and ability with his left foot, Diego Maradona named Rivellino among his greatest inspirations growing up. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.