Feb 3, 7:45 pm Italian Serie A Cagliari 1 Lazio 2 Feb 3, 8:00 pm Spanish La Liga Girona 2 Las Palmas 1 Feb 3, 8:00 pm English Premier League Chelsea 2 West Ham 1 Feb 4, 6:00 pm Coupe de France Troyes 1 Brest 2 Feb 4, 6:00 pm Coupe de France LOSC 1 Dunkerque 1 Feb 4, 7:45 pm DFB-Pokal VfB Stuttgart 1 Augsburg 0 Feb 4, 8:00 pm Coppa Italia Atalanta 0 Bologna 1 Feb 4, 8:10 pm Coupe de France Le Mans 0 Paris Saint-Germain 2 Feb 4, 8:30 pm Copa del Rey Atlético Madrid 5 Getafe 0 Feb 5, 7:45 pm Coupe de France Cannes 5 SU Dives 3 Feb 5, 7:45 pm Coupe de France Strasbourg 1 Angers 3 Feb 5, 7:45 pm Coupe de France Stade Briochin 2 Nice 1 Feb 5, 7:45 pm DFB-Pokal Leverkusen 3 Köln 2 Feb 5, 7:45 pm Coupe de France Toulouse 2 Guingamp 0 Feb 5, 8:00 pm Carabao EFL Cup Newcastle 2 Arsenal 0 Feb 5, 8:00 pm Copa del Rey Leganes 2 Real Madrid 3 Feb 5, 8:00 pm Coppa Italia Milan 3 Roma 1 Feb 6, 6:30 pm Copa del Rey Real Sociedad Osasuna Feb 6, 7:45 pm Italian Serie A Fiorentina Inter Feb 6, 8:00 pm Carabao EFL Cup Liverpool Tottenham Feb 6, 8:00 pm Coupe de France Bourgoin-Jallieu Reims Feb 6, 8:30 pm Copa del Rey Valencia Barcelona Feb 7, 6:00 pm French Ligue 1 Nantes Brest Feb 7, 7:30 pm German Bundesliga Bayern Werder Feb 7, 7:45 pm Italian Serie A Como Juventus Feb 7, 8:00 pm Spanish La Liga Rayo Vallecano Valladolid Feb 7, 8:00 pm Emirates FA Cup Man United Leicester City Feb 7, 8:05 pm French Ligue 1 Paris Saint-Germain Monaco Feb 8, 8:05 am French Ligue 1 St-Étienne Rennes Feb 8, 12:15 pm Emirates FA Cup Leyton Orient Man City Feb 8, 12:15 pm Emirates FA Cup Leeds United Millwall Feb 8, 1:00 pm Spanish La Liga Celta Vigo Real Betis Feb 8, 2:00 pm Italian Serie A Verona Atalanta Feb 8, 2:30 pm German Bundesliga Dortmund VfB Stuttgart Feb 8, 2:30 pm German Bundesliga Wolfsburg Leverkusen Feb 8, 2:30 pm German Bundesliga Hoffenheim Union Berlin Feb 8, 2:30 pm German Bundesliga Mainz Augsburg Feb 8, 2:30 pm German Bundesliga SC Freiburg Heidenheim Feb 8, 3:00 pm Emirates FA Cup Coventry Ipswich Town Feb 8, 3:00 pm Emirates FA Cup Everton Bournemouth Feb 8, 3:00 pm Emirates FA Cup Preston Wycombe Feb 8, 3:00 pm Emirates FA Cup Wigan Athletic Fulham Feb 8, 3:00 pm Emirates FA Cup Southampton Burnley Feb 8, 3:00 pm Emirates FA Cup Stoke City Cardiff City Feb 8, 3:15 pm Spanish La Liga Athletic Club Girona Feb 8, 4:00 pm French Ligue 1 Nice Lens Feb 8, 5:00 pm Italian Serie A Empoli Milan Feb 8, 5:30 pm German Bundesliga Mönchengladbach Eintracht Frankfurt Feb 8, 5:30 pm Spanish La Liga Las Palmas Villarreal Feb 8, 5:45 pm Emirates FA Cup Birmingham Newcastle Feb 8, 6:00 pm French Ligue 1 LOSC Le Havre Feb 8, 7:45 pm Italian Serie A Torino Genoa Feb 8, 8:00 pm Emirates FA Cup Brighton Chelsea Feb 8, 8:00 pm Spanish La Liga Real Madrid Atlético Madrid Feb 9, 11:30 am Italian Serie A Venezia Roma Feb 9, 12:30 pm Emirates FA Cup Blackburn Rovers Wolves Feb 9, 1:00 pm Spanish La Liga Alavés Getafe Feb 9, 2:00 pm French Ligue 1 Lyon Reims Feb 9, 2:00 pm Italian Serie A Cagliari Parma Feb 9, 2:00 pm Italian Serie A Lazio Monza Feb 9, 2:30 pm German Bundesliga Holstein Kiel VfL Bochum Feb 9, 3:00 pm Emirates FA Cup Plymouth Argyle Liverpool Feb 9, 3:15 pm Spanish La Liga Valencia Leganes Feb 9, 4:15 pm French Ligue 1 Auxerre Toulouse Feb 9, 4:15 pm French Ligue 1 Strasbourg Montpellier Feb 9, 4:30 pm German Bundesliga RB Leipzig FC St. Pauli Feb 9, 5:00 pm Italian Serie A Lecce Bologna Feb 9, 5:30 pm Spanish La Liga Real Sociedad Espanyol Feb 9, 5:35 pm Emirates FA Cup Aston Villa Tottenham Feb 9, 7:45 pm French Ligue 1 Angers Marseille Feb 9, 7:45 pm Italian Serie A Napoli Udinese Feb 9, 8:00 pm Spanish La Liga Sevilla Barcelona

Rivaldo Reveals Shocking Truth About Louis van Gaal at Barcelona

Rivaldo (Photo Credit: Getty)

Rivaldo has opened up about his tumultuous relationship with Louis van Gaal during his time at Barcelona, claiming the Dutch manager stifled his creativity and even sought to humiliate him by fielding him in under-strength teams.

The Brazilian icon, regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, joined Barcelona in 1997 after a successful stint at Deportivo de La Coruña. Sir Bobby Robson was instrumental in securing Rivaldo’s transfer, but he was replaced by Van Gaal shortly after.

Despite finishing his debut season as Barcelona’s second-highest scorer with 19 goals in 34 league appearances and helping the team secure the La Liga title, Rivaldo’s relationship with Van Gaal was far from smooth.

Over his five-year tenure, he added another league title, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Super Cup to his accolades. However, the friction with Van Gaal cast a shadow over his otherwise remarkable spell at the club.

Rivaldo described Van Gaal as a “great coach” but criticized his aversion to players who displayed individual brilliance. “Van Gaal does not like players who stand out.

Louis Van Gaal (Photo Credit: Getty)
Louis Van Gaal (Photo Credit: Getty)

He is very collective,” Rivaldo told Betfair. “I was also collective, but there were moments I could have done much more. He took away my freedom.”

The pair frequently clashed, especially over Rivaldo’s position on the pitch. Van Gaal insisted he play as a left winger, but Rivaldo believed he was best suited as a No.10.

“For two years, I played on the left wing because I was in my prime and could perform well anywhere,” Rivaldo explained. “But I knew I could contribute more as a No.10, providing passes and assists.”

One pivotal moment came during a match against Atlético Madrid. Despite being praised at halftime, Rivaldo was substituted early in the second half. Frustrated, he decided to confront Van Gaal the following day, declaring he no longer wanted to play on the wing.

The tension reached its peak when Van Gaal fielded Rivaldo in a cup match alongside a team of youth players, resting stars like Luis Figo, Pep Guardiola, and Luis Enrique.

Rivaldo saw this as an attempt to embarrass him. “Mourinho, who was part of the coaching staff, told me, ‘You’re playing as a No.10,’ but it was clear Van Gaal was trying to humiliate me,” Rivaldo recalled.

Despite these challenges, Rivaldo looks back on his time at Barcelona fondly. In 1999, while at the club, he won the prestigious Ballon d’Or, beating stars like David Beckham and Andriy Shevchenko. “It was a wonderful experience,” Rivaldo said. “I won titles and was voted the best player in the world while at Barcelona. My five years there were unforgettable.”

Rivaldo’s legacy at Barcelona remains intact, even as his stories shed light on the complexities of working with a manager as demanding as Van Gaal.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *