Rival-go!

By: Chris Paraskevas | August 26th, 2008

He’s out and it’s about time.

There are those amongst us AEKtizes who will be devastated to see World Cup-winner Rivaldo leave the OAKA Spiros Louis, supposedly in pursuit of a bigger paycheck in the East. In truth it probably has more to do with the impending exit of his close ally and friend, Demis Nikolaidis, the man arguably responsible with convincing the Brazilian to grace the club with his presence in the first place.

A sympathizer I am not. Nor am I at all disappointed at the loss. Here was a man who was brought in with the sole purpose of bringing to long-suffering fans a Protathlima and galvanizing a side with potential. What we got instead was a selfish individual more concerned with exacting some measure of ‘revenge’ upon his former employers than actually achieving anything for his new club.

Let’s face it, Rivaldo was basically a flop at AEK. Sure, his stats might suggest otherwise but the truth of the matter is that the Brazilian only performed sporadically and tended to go missing when AEK needed him most: away at Panathinaikos in the league, at home against Panionios, away at the Karaiskaki, to name a but a few scenarios where the undoubted quality of the former superstar was desperately needed to provide that moment which he had used so often during his time with the gavroi.

What Rivaldo also did was soak up some hyper-inflated wages at a club which simply could not and can not afford to embark on grandiose financial expenditures similar to the one which coaxed him into wearing the black-and-yellow. The club took a massive gamble on him and it didn’t pay off. No title. No Champions League, for two seasons in a row.

Instead, he brought with him egotistical baggage, appearing to unsettle the squad, indirectly forcing out Lyberopoulos and contributing to one of his worst seasons at the club whilst simultaneously providing the catalyst for the exit of a certain Llorenç Serra Ferrer, probably one of the best managers the club has seen in its recent history.

Of course, Rivaldo did provide us with some memorable moments but they are rendered meaningless by the lack of overall success experienced by the Enosis during his time at the club.

It’s a cliche but an utterly appropriate one: football is a team game.

Rivaldo, was certainly not a team player…

Good riddance.

Oh, I forgot to mention, the best part of Rivaldo leaving is that this man is reportedly about to join AEK for a fee in the region of €3 million. Here’s a little preview of what he might offer in seasons to come: