The Pakistan team finished third in the event organised by Amos Trust, which aims at providing street children with a better future through football.

The sense of excitement generated comes with a ray of hope that the youngsters, if groomed properly, could propel Pakistan to a first ever appearance in the finals of the FIFA showpiece.

And if Pakistan’s street kids need to look up to someone for inspiration, there is no one better than a man who came from a similar impoverished background: Rivaldo Vitor Borba Ferreira, known to the world as Rivaldo.

Rivaldo officially retired from football last month, ending a glorious career which saw him be an influential figure in Brazil’s 2002 FIFA World Cup side.

But his journey to the top of the game, which also saw him win the Ballon d’Or in 1999, was never easy.

“There were many obstacles, challenges, waivers, longings, disappointments but also much greater joys, achievements, growth (and) change that allowed a distant dream to come true,” Rivaldo said in a statement announcing his retirement.

“I built my career upon a miracle, living in the small city of Paulista, no financial resources, no businessman, incentives only of my family, discredited by doctors and trainers.

“With persistence, dedication and especially with the hand of God, I came to be recognised as the best player in the world, world champion.”

The 41-year-old still bears the mark of poverty on his face; his broken teeth still visible when he smiles.

Growing up in Brazil’s northeast port town of Recife, he lived in one of its favelas — the Brazilian name for slums.

Poverty meant he lost several teeth and malnourishment left him bowlegged.

He was from a background so poor that he walked a 15-mile round trip to training as a youngster.

It was the love of the game that kept him going.

At 15, he lost his father in a tragic car crash and to support his family, he sold sweets and drinks on the seaside.

Yet, the love of the game kept him going.

And at 16, Rivaldo signed his first professional contract with Paulistano despite its coaches believing he was too weak to play football.

That was of course before they saw what he could do with his left foot.

His abilities would come to light five years later, though when at Sao Paolo minnows Mogi Mirim, he shot straight from kick-off and into the back of the net in a match against Noroeste.

There would be no looking back from there.

His bowlegged gait gave him a distinctive playing style and he could hurt rival teams with a moment of magic from his left foot that could unleash shots that left goalkeepers dazed.

But it was his left foot that let him down as he was vilified in Brazil for a misplaced pass that led to their elimination from the 1996 Olympics.

They finished with bronze and that year, Rivaldo would cross the Atlantic and join Deportivo La Coruna in Spain.

A stunning year in Spain and Barcelona came calling.

However, despite scoring crucial goals for the Catalans including a hat-trick on the final day of 2000-01 season in a 3-2 win against Valencia which helped them qualify for the Champions League, Rivaldo wasn’t endeared by Barca fans who said he faked injuries to keep himself fit for national team duty.

Fans of his home country didn’t warm up to him either who said his best performances were reserved for Barca.

A losing finalist with Brazil in the 1998 World Cup, he was roundly booed by fans during a qualifier for the 2002 edition against Colombia in November 2000. So much so he felt like quitting international football.

But he’d overcome obstacles all his life and come back stronger. He did it again.

Rivaldo helped Brazil qualify for the finals in Korea-Japan and there, along with Ronaldo, powered Brazil to their fifth World Cup triumph.

He scored five goals and despite coach Luiz Felipe Scolari’s admission that “Rivaldo was the best player of the tournament”, it was Ronaldo who was feted and won the adoration of the Brazilian fans and media alike.

Rivaldo left Barca that summer to join Italian giants AC Milan and after a year at the San Siro, before spending time in Greece — with Olympiakos and AEK Athens, Uzbakistan and Angola.

He would then return to Brazil, first with Mogi Mirim, then Sao Paulo and Sao Caetano whom he left last year citing knee pain before announcing his retirement and bringing to close a career which saw him overcome every adversity which came his way.

“Among trophies, medals, awards and titles,” he said in his retirement statement, “in a land where everything is consumed, here I leave a story.”

And a very inspirational one for that matter.

Note: This is the seventh segment of a 14-part Dawn 2014 FIFA World Cup special, which includes exclusive interviews with current and former players, features and analyses ahead of the football extravaganza in Brazil.