Rivelino vs Marco Tardelli: Stats Compared
Left Midfielder, Brazil (born 1946, retired 1981) · Central Midfielder, Italy (born 1954, retired 1988)
Put Rivelino and Marco Tardelli side by side and you have a genuine generational conversation. Honours are what separate great players from trophy-laden legends, and both qualify. Across his senior career Rivelino notched 238 goals in 624 appearances (0.38 per game), while Marco Tardelli recorded 90 in 450 (0.20 per game). Assists were never formally recorded across most of their eras, so the playmaking dimension has to be judged on reputation and highlights rather than hard totals. The honours ledger favours Rivelino with 8 major trophies (1× FIFA World Cup (1970)) against Marco Tardelli's 7 (1× FIFA World Cup (1982)). One lifted trophies through intelligent reliability, the other through dictatorial moments that decided finals. The wider career context matters too: Rivelino peaked around 1970 after representing Corinthians, Fluminense, Al-Hilal, while Marco Tardelli's defining level came around 1982 across Pisa, Juventus, Internazionale, St. Gallen. Each, in his own way, set a standard the other is measured against.
156 words · comparison angle: trophies
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.”
Remembered forever for his euphoric, tear-filled goal celebration in the 1982 World Cup final, Tardelli was a dynamic box-to-box midfielder at the heart of Juventus's most dominant era.
“A relentless, combative midfielder who broke up play before surging forward to arrive late in the box.”
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× FIFA World Cup (1982)
- 5× Serie A (1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1984)
- 1× European Cup (1985)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1962 Established himself at Corinthians
- 1966 Reached his defining peak
- 1970 Delivered a landmark season
- 1981 Retired from professional football
- 1971 Professional debut for Pisa
- 1982 Won FIFA World Cup with Juventus
- 1985 Won European Cup with Juventus
- 1982 Reached the peak of his powers at Juventus
- 1988 Retired after a final spell at St. Gallen
- Finished his career with 90 goals in 450 appearances and 7 major honours. Finished his career with 90 goals in 450 appearances and 7 major honours.
The verdict
On balance Rivelino edges the comparison. The margin is a clear margin, decided mostly by a sharper goalscoring record.
Rivelino edges it (a clear margin)
