Rivaldo teams up with Ronaldo

The world's top two players from Brazil face each other in A.C. Milan derby

Three of the heroes of Brazil's fifth World Cup triumph, sealed four weeks ago in Japan, have since had to take a reality check in the financially turbulent world of European club soccer.
For Rivaldo, the 1999 World Player of the Year, the experience has been particularly confusing. One minute he was showing off his winner's medal and having a giraffe named after him at a Swiss zoo, the next he was scouring Europe looking for a new job after being told he was surplus to requirements at Barcelona.
Turned down by England's Leeds United and Newcastle United, Rivaldo has found a new home at AC Milan, but his feud with Barcelona coach Louis van Gaal may have burst the bubble of his post-World Cup euphoria.
Van Gaal, who fell out with the Brazilian during his first spell at the club, sent the 30-year-old forward packing with a frank assessment of his dedication.
"I liked Rivaldo when he was committed and motivated," Van Gaal said last week. "But after he asked for two more weeks' holiday knowing full well that we have to play a Champions League qualifier he showed that he did not have the necessary commitment to Barcelona.
"His level dropped more for Barca than for Brazil," he said. "When you saw Rivaldo play for Brazil you saw an enthusiastic player, who wanted to work for his team. That is the difference."
"I liked Rivaldo before he was chosen as the world's best player but since then he has not performed as well," added Van Gaal.
"I wanted that Rivaldo because he was the best, but from that time on he didn't deal with either his personal or sporting situation in the right manner."
Rivaldo responded by playing his World Cup card, taunting the former Dutch national coach for failing to guide his talented side to the finals.
"He is envious because I won a tournament (the World Cup) that he couldn't even qualify for," he sneered. "I feel sorry for van Gaal and understand why he is so angry."
As reported last week, AC Milan were actively pursuing the suddenly-become-free-agent Brazilian international midfielder Rivaldo. And there was very little doubt that the Rossoneri would not secure the signature of former World Player of the Year for the upcoming Serie A season.
AC Milan's signing of Brazilian World Cup winner Rivaldo has gone some way to restoring the club's status in European soccer, but it will increase the pressure on coach Carlo Ancelotti to deliver trophies.
Former Barcelona star signed a three-year deal with Milan last weekend. He has now joined up with his new team-mates to prepare for Milan's qualifying match for the group stage of the Champions League.
Milan President Silvio Berlusconi, also Italy's prime minister, has never been shy of bringing out the cheque book when he believes his club need a top signing, despite the current economic woes afflicting Italian soccer. They have not won a major honour since the Italian title won in 1999, and that was enough to convince the Prime Minister that they should get Rivaldo.
Those three seasons have seen Milan lose the image, built under Berlusconi's reign, as a team of world-class performers playing entertaining and attacking soccer. Berlusconi spent heavily to help create Arrigo Sacchi's squad which won the European Cup in 1989 and 1990 and the media mogul invested again to assist Fabio Capello build the side which lifted the continent's premier trophy again in 1994.
Top foreign players such as Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Dejan Savicevic and Zvonimir Boban ensured the stylish soccer Berlusconi has always insisted upon. But the recent decline has coincided with the president's decision to focus more on his political career than his interest in his club.
It was, however, Berlusconi, whose Fininvest company owns Milan, who gave the go-ahead for the Rivaldo deal and Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani believes the signing has reactivated the premier's passion for the team.
Galliani effectively runs the club on a day-to-day basis. It was a long time since Galliani had heard from Berlusconi two or three times a day on Milan issues. The approach for Rivaldo really got him going and he was involved right from the start.
But having committed to a three-year contract for Rivaldo, reported to be worth an annual 4.5 million euros (Cdn $6.7-million) to the Brazilian, Berlusconi will expect a return on his investment.
Captain Paolo Maldini, the only member of the Sacchi side still at the club, is convinced that Rivaldo can help put Milan back among the frontrunners in Serie A and in Europe.
As far as Maldini is concerned the signing of Rivaldo has really boosted the whole atmosphere around the club.
If you consider that a year ago, Rivaldo would have cost in well in excess of Cdn $80-million, Rivaldo's arrival in Milan with no transfer fee going to Barcelona is a real coup for the Milan management. That is what many in Italian soccer call a real deal.
"We are ready to welcome him as the great champion that he is, one of the greatest ever to pull on our red and black shirts, and with him we are more than ever favourites," said Paolo Maldini.
Coach Ancelotti now has an impressive range of strikers with Filippo Inzaghi, Ukrainian Andriy Shevchenko, Denmark's Jon Dahl Tomasson and Rivaldo to choose from, as well as Portugal's attacking midfielder Rui Costa.
But while it is likely that Ancelotti will opt for a more attacking formation than last season, probably with three strikers, there is bound to be fierce competition for places.
The signing of Rivaldo expands the level of quality Milan have and will also increase the internal competition in the side. Rivaldo can play either behind two strikers or he can be up-front as one of the forwards himself. It really depends on the system Milan play but Ancelotti and his coaching staff know that he likes to attack teams from deep positions.
Ancelotti also knows, from personal experience, that having the best in your squad adds to the levels of expectation. He was sacked as Juventus coach after his team, including former World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, twice finished runners-up in Serie A.
The arrival of Rivaldo in Milan has ensured an added spice to the two Milad derby matches of the 2002-03 season, with Ronaldo plying his trade for the blue half of the city.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, has also been through a sobering experience after receiving a telephone call from his Inter Milan team-mate Christian Vieri. Italy striker urged the World Cup's top goalscorer to take a substantial pay cut in order to help the financially stricken Serie A club through the cash crisis gripping Italian soccer.
The Brazilian, whose personal stock has soared after his heroics in South Korea and Japan, was happy to oblige and put in a call to Uruguayan striker Alvaro Recoba to urge him to make a similar gesture.
Brazil's third R, Ronaldinho, has also been affected by the financial crisis after it was revealed last week that the owners of Paris St Germain put the club up for sale.
The 22-year-old, who received widespread praise for his vibrant displays in the Far East, has said he will stay, but the French club's debts could force them to cash in on their most valuable asset.

Publication Date: 2002-08-04
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=1655