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TOKYO, Thursday (Reuters) Sunday's World Cup final offers Rivaldo the chance once and for all to convince the doubters he deserves his place among the all-time greats of Brazilian soccer.

Despite a sparkling CV with a terrific return of 32 goals in 61 full internationals -- including eight in the qualifiers and five in the current finals -- club honours in Brazil and Spain and the World Player of the Year award in 1999, the 30-year-old playmaker somehow still finds himself with something to prove.

It is nothing new, however, for a player, and a man, who has spent his entire life struggling for recognition.

Born into poverty in the north-eastern city of Recife, Rivaldo had the archetypal Brazilian boyhood of scraping a meagre income selling souvenirs to tourists by day, then playing football on the beach after they had moved on.

But the well-trodden path into the national team from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo was not so accessible for a poor boy from the north.

GREATER EFFORTS

The death of his father when Rivaldo was 16 spurred him to greater efforts as he fought to give life to the parental dream that he would become a professional.

He managed it, joining Paulista a year later then moving to Santa Cruz and Mogi Mirim, all the time battling to prove his worth.

"Nobody believed in me then," he said. "They said the others would be the stars, but I did not let that get me down."

So came a move to Corinthians in 1993 and then to Palmeiras a year later.

Never the most stylish of players, the tall, gangly midfielder who relied entirely on his left foot, still struggled to convince the Brazilian public, despite notching a remarkable 50 goals in 86 games for the Sao Paolo club in two years.

After helping Brazil win the world youth championship in 1993 he made his international debut in December that year, but then-coach Carlos Alberto Perreira was not convinced enough to include him the squad that went on to win the 1994 World Cup.

He was involved in the 1996 Olympics but was widely blamed for Brazil's semi-final defeat to Nigeria before leaving the critics behind with a move to Spain's Deportivo Coruna.

OBVIOUS DEDICATION

Suddenly he was appreciated. His 21 goals in 41 games and obvious dedication to the cause earned him a lucrative move to Barcelona and worldwide acclaim followed.

In Brazil, however, the doubts remained. Despite scoring four goals and being selected by FIFA as his country's best player in the 1998 World Cup and crowned World Player of the Year the following season, supporters lamented that he still failed to reproduce his club form on the international stage.

Roundly booed after Brazil scrambled a last-minute 1-0 qualifying win over Colombia in November 2000, he threatened to quit the national team.

"I've been through many things in my career but that was too much," he said.

Back at the Nou Camp his stock continued to rise, reaching an almost hysterical peak in the last minute of the last league game of the 2000-2001 season.

With Barcelona needing victory over Valencia to leapfrog them into the last available Champions League spot, Rivaldo thumped home a spectacular overhead kick to complete his hat-trick and a 3-2 victory.

Rivaldo took the adulation and the criticism equally in his stride.

His upbringing kept him eternally aware that whatever the highs and lows of playing football, there was another world where a full stomach represented a successful day.

CHARITY WORK

Consequently he has always been heavily involved in charity work, both in his northern Brazilian homeland and in Barcelona.

"Many people still live in poverty but because of my name and my position I can offer a helping hand," he said in a sentiment all-too rare among soccer's modern millionaires.

His run-up to this World Cup was problematical as a knee injury brought a premature end to his club season and left many wondering if he would regain fitness in time to make the finals.

As so often before, he had to prove the doubters wrong.

"People laughed at me, made jokes about my fitness, which made me a bit sad," he said.

"I worked very hard, 24-hours a day to get fit but people didn't realise this and they criticised me, they said I was crocked and another player should be picked."

Rivaldo's initial impact on the tournament was nothing to be proud of, however, as his "simulation" of a facial injury after the ball was kicked against his legs in Brazil's first group game versus Turkey earned him widespread ridicule and a FIFA fine.

More play-acting and diving in the 2-1 quarter-final victory over England also left an unpleasant taste but in general he has made the headlines for the right reasons.

Despite looking more ungainly than ever in his white boots, and just as one-footed, he has improved with every game, scoring in five successive matches before the semi-final and impressing again in the 1-0 semi-final win over Turkey.

Rivaldo never lost confidence in himself and to finally get the unconditional backing of a national team manager has helped him shine.

"Luis Felipe Scolari has put a lot of faith in me," he said. "People carried on criticising my football, saying that I shouldn't be in the team but he told me my place was safe and I needn't be concerned about the critics.

"It is great to be trusted by the coach. He gave me confidence and told me my place is safe."

Perhaps by 09.45 Tokyo time (1245 GMT) on Sunday night, 170 million Brazilians will finally agree. 

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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