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Rivelino inherited Pele's No. 10 shirt after the 1970 finals. Allsport Hulton/Archive |
With his bandy-legged skills and bandito moustache, Rivelino was another star of Brazil's brilliant side of 1970.
Famous for his ferocious shooting, the left winger also tormented defenders with his deceptive dribbling skills, particularly his "elastic dribble" trick, which involved rolling his foot over the ball before setting off in the opposite direction.
In Brazil's first game against Czechoslovakia he almost burst the net with a trademark freekick and Brazil never looked back. Rivelino was also on target in a 4-2 win over Peru and the semifinal 3-1 defeat of Uruguay as the stylish Brazilians strolled to the title.
By 1974, Rivelino had inherited Pele's No. 10 shirt and moved into the center, but Brazil's World Cup defense proved an unhappy experience. Having ruled in the hot, slow-paced conditions of Mexico, the muddy pitches of West Germany were no place for South American flair.
But Rivelino was Brazil's best player, masterminding the 3-0 win over Zaire that ensured Brazil's place in the last eight and scoring vicious freekicks in wins over East Germany and Argentina. But Brazil lost to the Netherlands and then Poland to finish fourth.
Rivelino featured in his third finals in 1978, although Brazil used him sparingly in a campaign that again stalled in the semifinals. But Rivelino's World Cup career finished with a flourish as he came off the bench to play a cameo role in Brazil's third place-clinching 2-1 win over Italy.
