Rivaldo is firmly among the greatest to have played the sport of football.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, the left-footed wizard was a force to be reckoned with, particularly at Barcelona.

The 2002 World Cup winner joined the Catalan outfit from Deportivo La Coruna in the summer of 1997 and went on to establish himself as the best player on the planet for a brief time.

Rivaldo's heroics at Barcelona - which included the most famous of hat-tricks against Valencia - saw him with both the FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or awards in 1999.

He also starred on international duty with Brazil. In his 74 appearances for the South American nation, Rivaldo bagged 35 goals, which makes him the seventh-highest scorer in the country's rich history at the time of writing.

So, when a player who's achieved as much in the sport as Rivaldo has gives their take on the greatest XI of all time, you stand up and take notice.

Back in 2015, the great man provided his answer to the age old question and the team he picked was outrageously good.

There was perhaps a little bit of bias, as five Brazilian players made the cut. However, not one of them was Pele.

Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Maradona also missed out...

La Liga quiz: Can you name these 30 players from the 2000s?

Rivaldo's greatest XI of all time

GK | Dida

Rivaldo: "Won everything with Milan and Brazil, at his peak he was so difficult to score against."

RB | Cafu

Rivaldo: "Our captain when we (Brazil) won the World Cup, one of the best professionals I have played with."

CB | Carles Puyol

Rivaldo: "A good friend, a good player, and a better leader. Had the authority to lead any team."

CB | Paolo Maldini

Rivaldo: "When I arrived at Milan he was already well into his thirties, but the class and composure was still there. Such an intelligent defender, he could read the game better than anybody."

LB | Roberto Carlos

Rivaldo: "We (Brazil) were so lucky that we had two full-backs that knew how to defend but were so good at attacking. They played a big part in our success."

RM | Luis Figo

Rivaldo: "Running with the ball he was a defender's nightmare, they couldn’t get near him."

CM | Xavi Hernandez

Rivaldo: "An amazing player, but he never wanted to be the hero. Everything he did was for the good of Barcelona."

CM | Zinedine Zidane

Rivaldo: "There was a real mutual respect between us. When he had the ball I would shadow him and he would do the same to me. Neither of us wanted to be embarrassed by the other, we knew what we were both capable of on the ball."

LM | Ronaldinho

Rivaldo: "A master with the ball, it would have incredible to see him and Lionel Messi play together for a longer time at Barcelona."

ST | Lionel Messi

Rivaldo: "I said five years ago he will be crowned the best player in the world five or six times over – and he will be. Already can be talked about with Pele and Maradona."

ST | Ronaldo Nazario

Rivaldo: "I have played with some great players, but he is the player who I enjoyed playing with the most. The best striker of all time."

What. A. Team.