The Isolation of Rivaldo, Famous Brazilian Forward, in a Small Town - 2003-12-08

The Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper announced in its Sunday edition that Rivaldo, the famous Brazilian forward, has isolated himself in a small town in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, to decide on his next steps in his sporting life. The newspaper states that Rivaldo, who won the World Cup in 2002 with his national team, is in the process of terminating his contract with the Italian club AC Milan, the European champion. He is staying in the town of 'Mogi Mirim' with his two sons, Rivaldinho and Tamiris. According to reports, Rivaldo, who is 31 years old, has received offers from Premier League clubs in England but may decide to return to Brazil and play for a club in his home country. This reserved and reclusive striker has avoided any media contact since returning to Brazil and is expected to announce his decision soon. The AC Milan club announced the termination of Rivaldo's contract last Monday, even though the contract was valid for another 18 months. A similar compromise occurred last September between the Milan club and Rivaldo, but this football star changed his mind and decided to stay with the club. After winning the World Cup in 2002, Rivaldo joined AC Milan from Barcelona in Spain but never achieved the same success at Milan as he did at Barcelona. Rivaldo recently described the past year at AC Milan as the worst year of his professional life. While the media in Brazil have severely criticized Carlo Ancelotti, the head coach of AC Milan, despite all this, Rivaldo has maintained his place in the Brazilian national football team and last month scored the only goal for Brazil in a World Cup qualifying match against Peru, which ended in a 1-1 draw.