Doriva, full name Dorival Guidoni Jr. (born 28 May 1972 in Nhandeara

Nhandeara

Nhandeara is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The area is 437.4 km². Distance from São Paulo is 508 km. It was founded in 1944 by Joaquim Fernandes de Melo...

, São Paulo

São Paulo (state)

São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...

) is a recently retired Brazilian footballer

Football in Brazil

Football is the most popular sport in Brazil. The Brazilian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup tournament a record 5 times, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002, and is the only team to succeed in qualifying for every World Cup competition ever held. It is among the favourites to win...

 who played midfielder

Midfielder

A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

, who last played for América-SP

América Futebol Clube (SP)

América Futebol Clube , usually known simply as América , is a Brazilian football club from São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo state...

 in the Brazilian league, after a spell playing for Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough F.C.

Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...

.

Prior to joining to Middlesbrough, Doriva played for São Paulo

São Paulo Futebol Clube

São Paulo Futebol Clube , commonly known as São Paulo, is a professional football club based in São Paulo, Brazil. They play in the Campeonato Paulista, São Paulo's state league, and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A or Brasileirão, Brazil's national league, and are one of the only five clubs to...

, Atlético Mineiro

Clube Atlético Mineiro

Clube Atlético Mineiro , are a Brazilian football club based in Belo Horizonte, the oldest in the city. Founded in 1908, they play in the Campeonato Mineiro and Campeonato Brasileiro Série A or Brasileirão. Atlético Mineiro have been Brazilian champions once, state winners a record 40 times and...

, Porto, Sampdoria

U.C. Sampdoria

Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...

, and Celta Vigo. He was part of the Brazil

Brazil national football team

The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...

 squad at the 1998 FIFA World Cup

1998 FIFA World Cup

The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...

.

In his first full season at Middlesbrough, Doriva was first choice in midfield alongside George Boateng

George Boateng

George Boateng is a Dutch footballer who plays as a midfielder for Nottingham Forest in The Championship.-Club career:...

. He found his chances limited after this, however, due to the emergence of Stewart Downing

Stewart Downing

Stewart Downing is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool and the England national team. Primarily a winger, Downing has previously played for Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Sunderland.-Middlesbrough:...

 and the conversion of Boudewijn Zenden to central midfield. His only goal for Middlesbrough came in a 2–1 victory at Notts County

Notts County F.C.

Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...

 in the third round of the FA Cup

FA Cup

The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

 on 8 January 2005.

In 2005 he earned a one-year contract extension, which Middlesbrough allowed to expire in July 2006. Having spent a brief period on the Blackpool

Blackpool F.C.

Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...

 books, he then signed for América-SP

América Futebol Clube (SP)

América Futebol Clube , usually known simply as América , is a Brazilian football club from São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo state...

in Brazil.