A Golden Ball in the Republic of Angola

Since football was professionalized many players choose to end their careers in destinations that could qualify as exotic. Leagues at a lower level but with clubs willing to spend real atrocities, especially considering the per capita income of some of the countries of destination, by proxy have beens, footballers in years or decades earlier highlighted the best teams Europe but in the twilight of their careers full seek one last big contract.

It's an old story and repeated. For example, Pelé, one of the largest in history, signed with 35 years for the New York Cosmos of a U.S. league even less important than it is today. The same path taken in recent times other cracks as David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy) and Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls). In Spain, a little over a decade, some international players put their sight in Mexico, as Butragueño and Martin Vazquez, both signed to Atletico Celaya. A decade later, the fate began to fashion was the petrodollar countries such as Qatar, which fell Hierro (Al-Rayyan), Guardiola (Al-Ahli) or Batistuta (Al-Arabi).

In recent years there is a new destination: China. The Asian giant has begun to attract those players who already entered in his thirties, prefer an exorbitant economic contract over a final project in the elite. Such are the cases of Kanoute (Beijing Guoan), Drogba and Anelka (Shanghai Senhua) or Yakubu and Dario Conca (Guangzhou Evergrande). Unlike the case of Russia, where they are as capable of turning an Eto'o highest paid footballer in the world when he is in the twilight of his career, as taking the services of one of the world's best Nines, Hulk, who at 26 is in his prime. Therefore we can not minimize the Russian league as a destination for old glories.

North America, Middle East, Far East ... With only two countries, Australia and New Zealand, with minimal importance in the footballing globe, Oceania is another matter, not yet been given powers by trying to beat their league signings isolated but renamed. So we just Africa. The Old Continent is true, with Europe and Latin America, where soccer is lived with more passion. From the cradle of our species has produced some of the best players of the last few decades (and also share another characteristic: a special charisma): George Weah, Roger Milla, Thomas Nkono or those named above, Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto'o.

But Africa has never had a major league in the world and, therefore, at no time in history has worked Balompédica as an attractive destination for top players from other continents. But there is an exception, a real rare bird who was player of FC Barcelona and AC Milan, world champion with his selection and Golden Ball in the distant 1999: Brazilian playmaker Rivaldo speak of Vítor Borba Ferreira, known simply as Rivaldo.

Rivaldo was released in that great team of Palmeiras of magic diamond with Conceição, Djalminha and Luizão, a quartet that Lendoiro tried together in the Depor but only succeeded for a party of Teresa Herrera before the August 31, 1997, FC Barcelona Gaspart pay his clause to midnight. The five years he was in Barcelona was the best time of Rivaldo: Twice champions, champion and top scorer of the Copa America in 1999 and world champion in Korea and Japan 2002. Then he signed for AC Milan, with whom he won the Champions League and, although he never had the confidence of Carlo Ancelotti.

In 2004, apart from the Rossoneri, he returned home for half a year, Cruzeiro, before joining the Greek Olympiakos, with whom he won three league titles in three years, finishing his tour of Greek lands in the 2007-08 season in the AEK Athens. From here it was clear Rivaldo: 36 years had only locate the computer that you pay more for it unknown and far away. And he found in Uzbekistan, in the FC Bunyodkor.

In this blog we've talked about that team . It is the same with that Joan Laporta, president of FC Barcelona and signed a partnership contract (which included a visit to some of the entity Blaugrana players to Bunyodkor) thanks to his good relations with Gulnara Karimova, President de facto club, corporate diva and daughter of Uzbek President Islam Karimov, whose dictatorial regime is accused of child slavery and exploitation. Beyond that was Rivaldo, with a contract of 10 million euros for the first two seasons. And to make you feel more comfortable, the Uzbek club coaches hired as Zico (2008) and Scolari (2009). Crack Brazilian won three leagues he played.

In 2010 he came home and announced his intention to play for Mogi Mirim, the club that had been released as a professional twenty years ago, in 1992, and was also its president. However, even before debut, accepted an offer of São Paulo, the club he played or section was at the discretion of each of the four coaches who once had. And finally, we come to the last episode of this story.

In January 2012, at age 39, he signed for Sport Clube do Palanca Kabuscorp club based in Luanda, capital of the Republic of Angola, with a contract that local media set at five million dollars, which do not fall, course, all sorts of perks like home and luxury car, domestic staff, transfer of land, etc. There has since been the great Rivaldo, disputing the Girabola, Football League Angolan its last legs as a player in one of the countries with the greatest social inequality of the African continent, which is ranked # 148 (out of 169) in the Index Human Development, and the capital, Luanda, despite having a vast majority of the population living below the threshold of extreme poverty, is one of the cities with the square meter of world's most expensive land.

Rivaldo Now, after half a lifetime-literally playing football: 40 years, 20 as a professional footballer, has been relegated to the substitution by Victor Ivanovich Bondarenko, Kabuscorp coach. That fact has led him to think about his final retirement as the Voz de Galicia reports that the player himself announced on his twitter . But who knows ... Maybe Rivaldo case of just want to pressure your coach or even may end up signing for another team even stranger. Pets bets: where will Rivaldo? The FH Hafnarfjörður? Icelandic? To? Suriname SV Robinhood? To 4.25? Sports Club North Korea? Who knows ...