Rivaldo: “I could have been a new Figo case”

Rivaldo, FC Barcelona legend and Betfair ambassador, has revealed how it was the interest that Real Madrid had in signing him in the summer of 2002, when he left FC Barcelona. Rivaldo eventually signed for Milan and, shortly after, Ronaldo was brought in by Real Madrid. It was the closest that one and the other came to playing in the same club. An option that Rivaldo would have loved.

“If there is shared forward with Ronaldo at Real Madrid, we would have been a fearsome couple. We already showed it when we played with Brazil. Having more time to develop that chemistry that we had in a club would have made us even more lethal “, the Betfair ambassador begins to explain.

“The defenses would have feared us, no matter what team we had played for. That summer Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid after the whites took an interest in meSo if we had gotten together, it would have been amazing, “he evoked.

“I would not reject Real Madrid for having played for Barcelona”

Rivaldo recalls that the option of ending up at Real Madrid It ended up being unfeasible more due to the high interest of Milan, which due to his status as a former FC Barcelona player. “In truth, the option of signing for Real Madrid was never as, as serious as has been said, because I quickly reached an agreement with Milan and Real Madrid refused to match the offer of the Italians, so I didn't have to think much about it, “the Betfair ambassador begins his story.

“But andor he would never have rejected Real Madrid just for having played for FC BarcelonaAs much as I have a great relationship with Barcelona and that it will always be my club in Europe. At that moment I was without equipment because we agreed to terminate the contract, so I couldn't just turn down offers. As a professional you should always analyze the pros and cons, “adds Rivaldo.

“I know perfectly well that if he had signed for Real Madrid, it would have been a case similar to that of Figo, but finally it was not realized “, tells in this regard the ambassador of Betfair.

“I thought a lot about entering Zidane so that he would not make a fool of me”

Had he signed for Real Madrid, Rivaldo could have shared a dressing room with Zidane, the current white coach and, then, a great merengue star. Rivaldo remembers that his duels with the Frenchman caused him tremendous admiration. So much so that sometimes people thought a lot about whether to enter it and how to do it so that, in a genius, the Frenchman would not make a fool of him.

“But I'm sure he also thought about it a lot when I was in a great moment of form because I could also leave him sitting,” warns Rivaldo. “But yeah, I remember when we played some classics, I thought a lot about trying to steal the ball, because with a rival so, so good, it makes you great and makes you look ridiculous. At such high levels, you try to be a little careful because the rivals have a lot of resources, “admits the Betfair ambassador.

“It is logical, then you enter him, he dribbles and you are cannon fodder for memes or videos. Look, something similar has happened recently with some images in which see Cristiano Ronaldo taking it off Messi and that goes viral because it is very rare to see them in direct individual confrontations, “says Rivaldo.

“I'm convinced that the two try to avoid each other in their direct duels because you know that the opponent is very good and can leave you bad. In my case, sometimes I preferred to wait for the help of other more defensive players to take care of that dirty work of stopping the best, “concluded the Betfair ambassador.