Surprisingly, FIFA elected Lionel Messi as the best player in the world in ‘The Best’, his eighth career achievement.
Five-time world champion with the Brazilian team, Rivaldo was asked about this new achievement by the Argentine star who became a world champion in 2022.
Did Messi deserve the award?
“I have great respect for Messi, but he didn’t deserve the award, because there were many other better players. Haaland had a spectacular year, deserving of ‘The Best’ of that period. He won the Champions League, helped his team become Premier League champions, and was top scorer for City. It was a shame to see that. Despite Messi’s performance in the World Cup, the 2023 award takes into account a post-world cup period, so this could affect the prestige of the award,” said Rivaldo.
Rivaldo also recalled that the award ceremony was not attended by the players who were candidates for the title: “This was bad for FIFA, so much so that none of the three players went to the award. I think the people who chose were wrong, whoever voted must have voted because they were fans of the star, not because of what he did this year. I believe that even Messi was embarrassed, so much so that he didn’t even speak about it on social media. Everything should be analyzed again by FIFA, Messi has nothing to do with it, but it was a somewhat strange situation for those who saw it”, pondered Rivaldo.
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Vini Júnior scores Hat-Trick in ‘El Clásico’
In the last classic between Barcelona and Real Madrid, Vini Jr. was the first Brazilian from Real Madrid to score three goals for the Madrid team in history. Rivaldo highlighted the Brazilian’s participation in the classic that secured the Spanish Super Cup title.
“It is important for any player to score three goals, especially in a classic of this size. I almost joined that group when I scored three at Real Madrid, but they canceled it, ruled it offside, even after knowing it wasn’t there, that match was a historic event for me. Vini Junior made history with these goals, this will certainly be remembered, very soon Vini should take the title of best player in the world.”
Dorival vs. Neymar
Dorival Júnior arrived in the Brazilian team and has already had to answer questions about what his work will be like with Neymar, a player with whom he had relationship problems in 2010, and was even fired from his position at Santos due to disagreements with the star. The Betfair ambassador also gave his opinion on the controversy.
“I believe that a chat, a face-to-face conversation will make things clear up between the two, that is part of the past and should not hinder this relationship. I’m sure that what Dorival wants most is for Neymar to recover and be well so that at the end of the year he can be with the group, playing and contributing to the national team,” said the five-time world champion.
Still commenting on Dorival’s arrival, Rivaldo said that the former São Paulo coach will also analyze many players who play in Brazilian football. “He will observe the group in general and analyze who will be part of this first call-up. I believe we can have some players who play in national football, as they are better than some who play in Europe.”
