Name Rivaldo Amaral Playing position Role Footballer | 1994–1998 Botafogo F.R. Height 1.83 m Years Team Position Forward | |
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Full name Rivaldo Costa Amaral Filho Date of birth (1978-05-08) May 8, 1978 (age 37) | ||
Place of birth Vila Velha, Brazil | ||
Rivaldo Costa Amaral Filho, or simply Rivaldo Costa (born May 8, 1978) is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a forward.
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Club career
Rivaldo is a typical 'journeyman', having played for several clubs in his career, most notably Deportivo de La Coruña of Spain, where he played for the "B" side in the Segunda División B.
Brazil
As a youth player with Botafogo F.R., Rivaldo was the 1995 Campeonato Carioca de Juniores (Rio de Janeiro Youth Championship) top goalscorer, and won the 1998 Campeonato Carioca de Juniores.
Rivaldo joined Araçatuba (São Paulo) in 1999, where he had his first taste of first team football.
Europe
In 2000, Rivaldo was signed by Deportivo de La Coruña to play for their "B" team in the Segunda División B. His two-year stay was unsuccessful though, as Deportivo "B" finished last in the table, and were relegated to the Tercera División in 2001.
He played for Portuguese Segunda Divisão side Rio Ave and Italian Serie C2/B side F.C. Forlì, before moving to Saudi Arabia to play for Al Taawon in late 2002.
Asia
Most of Rivaldo's successes in football come from his time in Asia, most notably in Indonesia, where he played for Petrokimia Putra Gresik and Arema Malang in 2003 and 2004 respectively.
On July 20, 2003, while playing for Petrokimia Putra Gresik in the ASEAN Club Championship Quarter-Final, Rivaldo scored a goal against SAFFC as his club overcame a 2–0 deficit to win the game 3–2 and qualify for the Semi-Finals of the competition.
However, Gresik were knocked out by eventual winners East Bengal FC in the Semi-Final, but in the Third Place Match on July 26, Rivaldo scored first to help his team to a 3–0 win over Perak FA.
Despite success in regional competition, Gresik were relegated from the Indonesian Premier Division (Division Utama) at the end of the 2003 season, and Rivaldo joined Arema Malang.
A year later, Rivaldo picked up his first major medal, scoring 12 goals as he helped Arema Malang to the Indonesian Division 1 (Divisi Satu) title, but it was a short-lived stay at the club, as he returned to Brazil to play for Bonsucesso in Rio de Janeiro.
He returned to play in Asia four years later, when he was signed by S-League club Geylang United.
On May 20, 2008, Rivaldo scored his first goal for Geylang a decisive equaliser in the 94th minute to grab one point in a nail-biting 2–2 draw against Balestier Khalsa.
He scored his first hat-trick for the Eagles in a 5–1 romp over Dalian Shide Siwu FC on 6 November 2008.
Rivaldo and his compatriot Luiz Carlos Machado Júnior have been released from Geylang United following an unsuccessful 2008 season where they finished 6th in the league.
Honours
1995: 1st, Campeonato Carioca de Juniores top goalscorer (with Juvenil do Botafogo F.R.)
1998: 1st, Campeonato Carioca de Juniores (with Juniores do Botafogo F.R.)
2003: 3rd, ASEAN Club Championship (with Petrokimia Putra Gresik)
2004: 1st, Indonesian Division 1 (Divisi Satu) (with Arema Malang)
Personal life
Rivaldo speaks five languages fluently – his native Portuguese, English, Italian, Spanish, as well as Indonesian.