There was no room for two such massive egos at Camp Nou, and despite on-field success, the pair never saw eye-to-eye
As a particularly bullish, eccentric and imperious figure, legendary coach Louis van Gaal always had a tendency to bump heads with some of his players. After he signed his first contract to take charge of Ajax, the Dutchman famously informed the club’s directors that they had just hired the best manager in the world – even though it was his first senior job in the game.
Luckily for the Amsterdam native, he lived up to his own hype, but not everyone saw the charm in his arrogance. The likes of Clarence Seedorf, Winston Bogarde, Luca Toni (to whom Van Gaal infamously showed his testicles), Lucio and Giovanni all had serious issues with Van Gaal that they would complain about long after their working relationships ended.
Perhaps the most intense and long feud of all, however, was the one that developed between him and Brazilian sensation Rivaldo. It was the perfect clash of egos; a manager who demands every one of his charges sacrifice for their team against a star forward with such individual brilliance that he expected the team to work for him.
They provided beautiful moments together, but it was never going to work in the long term, and eventually it all fell apart…
GettyDifferent journeys
Van Gaal and Rivaldo first met when they turned up at Barcelona around the same time – in the summer of 1997.
The coach had a moderate career as a player, but he instantly flourished on the touchline, guiding Ajax to three league titles, two Champions League finals (one of which they won), the UEFA Cup, Super Cup and Intertoto Cup – an awesome haul for a fresh manager playing with such a young squad. Looking for the next Johan Cruyff, it was no surprise then when Barcelona turned to another successful and unique Ajax icon to lead them to domestic and European success by hiring him in 1997.
Rivaldo, meanwhile, had a longer and more arduous journey to Camp Nou. Raised in the favelas of Recife, he was a malnourished child who managed to make a name for himself thanks to football. Rivaldo went professional at 18 and jumped from club to club until he became a star at a successful Palmeiras team.
The Brazilian moved to Europe with Deportivo La Coruna, where his magnificent goal rate immediately caught the attention of bigger teams. Deportivo finished an incredible third place in La Liga in his first season, and it turned out to be his only one as Barca came calling in 1997 and he could not refuse a move.
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Van Gaal and Rivaldo were an immediate hit with the Catalan giants. The Dutch coach thrust the Brazilian forward into the starting XI, playing on the left wing , opposite Portuguese icon Luis Figo and with Sonny Anderson at centre-forward.
Rivaldo needed just 26 minutes to score on his La Liga debut for the Blaugrana, netting twice as they opened the season with a win against Real Sociedad. He ended up scoring 19 times in 34 La Liga games as the Catalan club won the title at the first time of asking under Van Gaal, while Rivaldo scored eight in seven Copa del Rey matches as they made it a double.
It was a fantastic start to life at Barcelona for both famous figures, but the expectations and cultural differences made it difficult for Van Gaal to stamp his true philosophy on the club. Eventually, egos would collide and it all came crumbling down.
GettyBallon d'Or causes chaos
The following year, Rivaldo was totally untouchable, scoring and setting up goals all over the place as Barcelona racked up big wins in La Liga and played out two 3-3 thrillers with Manchester United in the Champions League. Barca won the league again, finishing an awesome 11 points ahead of Real Madrid, and Rivaldo finished second in the top-scorer charts for the second year in a row, just one goal behind Raul.
That summer, he carried that superstardom back to South America as he powered Brazil to Copa America success. He scored five in as many games, including two goals and an assist as he, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Cafu beat Uruguay 3-0 in the final.
Rivaldo, therefore, romped to the 1999 Ballon d’Or, and there was no real debate. He finished far ahead of David Beckham and Andriy Shevchenko in the voting, and rightly so.
That, success, however, was a turning point. According to Van Gaal, Rivaldo walked in the next day and declared that it was he who calls the shots now, not the head coach. Van Gaal was apoplectic because of the arrogance, but also irritated that the star would not acknowledge the team’s contribution to his Ballon d’Or win.
“I always put Rivaldo on the left,” Van Gaal explained. “He did that very well. The team adapted to Rivaldo. The day after he won the Ballon d'Or, he came to me. He thought he should talk to the team. I actually thought he meant to thank them, but that wasn't it. [Rivaldo said] ‘I no longer play on the left, I will play as a number 10 from now on’. I told him that he would no longer play in the first team and that he had been voted the best in the world thanks to his team-mates and because he was on [the left wing]. I told him to go and thank his team-mates for his election."
But what could Van Gaal do? He had to accommodate the world's No.1 somehow. Sadly, it all went wrong. Barca lost their Liga title, finishing five points behind Deportivo, lost in the Copa del Rey semi-finals to Atletico Madrid, and, most painfully, were beaten by Valencia in the Champions League semi-finals. According to the manager, it was Rivaldo's fault.
"He was important to us and I gave in to it," he said. "Although the Spanish media portray me as arrogant, I do listen to others: the players, the people of the club, the president. However, it was too late. That's why we lost that semi-final to Valencia. That was the biggest disappointment of that time."
Goodbye, hello, goodbye…
Van Gaal was held responsible for Barcelona's failures that season and was ultimately sacked in the summer. He found a new job immediately, taking over as Netherlands boss, while Rivaldo went back to blasting goals in at will under new manager Lorenzo Serra Ferrer.
Still, it was a horrendous period for all involved. Incredibly, Van Gaal's Oranje failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, resulting in a famous tearful press conference in which he blasted the media for their criticism throughout the campaign.
As for Barcelona, they were atrocious under Serra Ferrer despite Rivaldo scoring 36 goals in all competitions. They finished as low as fourth in the league table, crashed out of the Champions League and then lost to Liverpool in the UEFA Cup semi-finals, and were beaten 4-1 on aggregate by Celta Vigo in the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
They weren't much better the following season under Charles Rexach, either, finishing trophy-less. Rivaldo's influence had plummeted, with the Brazilian scoring only 14 goals in 33 games as Patrick Kluivert and Javier Saviola eclipsed him in attack.
Barca decided they were better off under Van Gaal after all and he was all too happy to have another crack at the whip. The first thing the Dutchman did when he walked back in in 2002? Get rid of Rivaldo.
