Rivelino vs Edgar Davids: Stats Compared
Left Midfielder, Brazil (born 1946, retired 1981) · Defensive Midfielder, Netherlands (born 1973, retired 2011)
Ask any fan to rank Rivelino above or below Edgar Davids and you will get a passionate answer. Their textures on the ball are what fans actually remember, and they could hardly be more different. Across his senior career Rivelino notched 238 goals in 624 appearances (0.38 per game), while Edgar Davids recorded 45 in 600 (0.08 per game). Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, Rivelino is credited with 0 and Edgar Davids with 40. Trophy counts give Rivelino 8 and Edgar Davids 4, with 1× FIFA World Cup (1970) and 1× UEFA Champions League (1995) the standout honours respectively. Stylistically Rivelino was orchestrating where Edgar Davids was creative — two vocabularies of the same sport. Club journeys add another layer, with Rivelino reaching his representative peak around 1970 across Corinthians, Fluminense, Al-Hilal and Edgar Davids doing so around 2000 with Ajax, AC Milan, Juventus, Barcelona, Internazionale, Tottenham Hotspur, Ajax, Crystal Palace. Whichever side you land on, both belong in any conversation about the finest of their generation.
183 words · comparison angle: style
Player profiles
Roberto Rivellino (born 1 January 1946), known mononymously as Rivellino, is a Brazilian football pundit and former player. He was a key member of Brazil’s 1970 FIFA World Cup-winning team and played as an attacking midfielder. He was renowned for his moustache, powerful long-range shooting, accurate passing, close control, dribbling and bending free kicks.
“A left-footed conductor famous for the elastico, fierce shooting and daring switches of play.”
Nicknamed 'The Pitbull' for his relentless tackling, Davids wore his trademark wraparound goggles and was one of the most feared ball-winners in Europe during Juventus's late-1990s dominance.
“An aggressive, tireless ball-winner whose combativeness and surprising technical quality made him a complete midfield destroyer.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 1× FIFA World Cup (1970)
- 1× UEFA Champions League (1995)
- 3× Serie A (1998, 2002, 2003)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1962 Established himself at Corinthians
- 1966 Reached his defining peak
- 1970 Delivered a landmark season
- 1981 Retired from professional football
- 1991 Professional debut for Ajax
- 1995 Won UEFA Champions League with Ajax
- 1998 Won Serie A with Juventus
- 2000 Reached the peak of his powers at Juventus
- 2011 Retired after a final spell at Crystal Palace
- Finished his career with 45 goals in 600 appearances and 4 major honours. Finished his career with 45 goals in 600 appearances and 4 major honours.
The verdict
Reasonable people will disagree, but Rivelino wins out by a narrow margin on the weight of a sharper goalscoring record.
Rivelino edges it (a narrow margin)
