“The game is on the line, everyone knows where the ball is going to end up and there is nothing anyone else on the other team can do about it—that is the mark of greatness” Reggie Miller
Rivaldo is the most underrated footballer ever. This is a player who played the game at a time when there were maybe 2 or 3 players (Zidane, and Ronaldo) that can be said are among the top 5 greatest footballers ever. And as someone who had the privilege to be around and watch (not highlights but full games) all of them play the game; I can say with supreme conviction that he is the best footballer I have ever seen. You can’t imagine the number of games I watched him carry a star-studded Barcelona team on his back single-handedly. Ronaldo or Zidane or Ronaldinho never did what I have seen Rivaldo do more than once. He truly is the everlasting saviour of Barcelona.
He was the best set piece player ever and the best shooter and while some Brazilian footballer invented the bicycle kick, Rivaldo took it to a level never seen before and possibly one that may never be matched. The numbers of times I have seen him score a bicycle kick with so much ease is unbelievable. The guy was a monster player and what i most liked about Rivaldo was he was quiet on the pitch and would let his left foot do all the talking.
And with that performance he managed to set a milestone of 3 sorts: the greatest hat-trick ever without a shadow of a doubt; the greatest individual performance ever without a shadow of a doubt and maybe the greatest goal ever considering the situation (last minute of the last game of the season)
