Rivaldo happy to be out of Sydney squad

Barcelona's Brazilian international Rivaldo is relieved that he has been omitted from his country's Olympic soccer squad.

"Going to Sydney wouldn't have been good either for me or for Barcelona," said the World and European player of the year.

"For me it would have been difficult to go the Olympics because people here would have criticised me."

Barcelona have recently improved Rivaldo's contract, making him the world's highest paid player, reports said.

An agreement between the Catalan club and the Brazilian Football Federation means that the player will now be able to begin the new league season with his club.

In return, Rivaldo will be expected to attend Brazil's training camp on August 28 prior to their next South American World Cup qualifier against Bolivia.