Rivaldo played for so many teams he earned the nickname 'King of Clubs' and while the Brazilian played for an astonishing 16 sides, his playing career is best remembered for the five years he spent at Barcelona between 1997 and 2002. Rivaldo scored 130 goals during his time at the Nou Camp and earned 'legendary' status when, in 2001, he scored a sensational overhead kick against Valencia that ensured Champions League qualification for the Catalans. In spite of having earned the reputation as one of the game's greatest ever attacking midfielders, and with nothing else to prove, Rivaldo left the Nou Camp at the age of 28 and joined AC Milan. He would last only two years during an injury-stricken spell at the San Siro, and flitted from side to side over the following years, plying his trade in Greece, Turkey and Uzbekistan but without really finding his place. The quintessential 'journeyman', Rivaldo sacrificed the opportunity of playing in La Liga and European competition every week in favour of playing in some of the so-called 'lesser leagues', and left Barca when his star was still on the rise. He could have gone on to become one of the club's all-time greats had he stayed longer, but instead his career drifted into obscurity.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
