Former Brazil international Alessandro Rivaldo has signed with the Angolan side Kabuscorp at the age of 39. Rivaldo moves to Kabuscorp after a one year stint at the Brazilian club Sao Paulo. By signing Rivaldo, Kabuscorp hopes to win the Angolan league championship after finishing second place last year. Speaking of the surprise move to an African club, Rivaldo noted: “I received offers from several countries, but I chose Angola because of the language and because I liked the project." Like Brazil, Portuguese is the predominant language in Angola.
Rivaldo was one of the great Brazilian players in a golden age of Brazilian football featuring Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Cafu and Carlos Dunga in the years between 1997 and 2002. In the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, Rivaldo scored in five consecutive World Cup games against Turkey, China, Costa Rica, Belgium and England en route to Brazil's fifth World Cup title. Wearing the famed number 10 jersey, Rivaldo scored a memorable goal in the second round against Belgium from a pass delivered by Ronaldinho with the outside of his right foot. With his back to goal, Rivaldo chested down Ronaldinho’s pass, turned and sent a rocket of a left footed shot into the back of the net to give Brazil the vital lead in a close, tense match. In the quarterfinals against England, Rivaldo scored another crucial goal, again from a Ronaldinho pass, by giving Brazil the equalizer in first half injury time after Luis Felipe Scolari’s team conceded a goal scored by Michael Owen. At the 2002 World Cup, Rivaldo formed one of the 3 Rs in a three pronged attacking formation in the Brazilian national team alongside Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
Rivaldo was FIFA World Player of the Year, European Footballer of the Year, and World Soccer Player of the Year in 1999. He helped Barcelona win La Liga in 1998 and 1998 and is widely considered one of the greatest strikers of all time. Rivaldo is known for his bow legged dribbling, his refusal to shoot from anything other than his left foot, his curling free kicks, long range shots and his unfailing accuracy from the penalty spot. Rivaldo plans to continue playing until the end of 2012.
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