Rivaldo has praised the way Ronald Koeman has been working with Barcelona's youngsters and has criticised Zinedine Zidane for failing to do something similar at Real Madrid.
The former Barcelona playmaker explained that the Dutchman has successfully integrated young prodigies into a group of experienced players.
"I have always said that the key to managing young talents is not to put too much pressure on them," Rivaldo said in his Betfair column. "and I think [Ronald] Koeman is doing well, bringing the kids together with [Sergio] Busquets, [Lionel] Messi and Jordi Alba.
"Koeman deserves to be congratulated and respected for that management.
"I don't know who will be behind all this, but [Zinedine] Zidane is doing the opposite of what he did when he started using young talents like [Fede] Valverde, Rodrygo [Goes] or Vinicius [Junior]
"I read this week that it could be a punishment because Vinicius would have looked at his mobile phone during a Zidane talk
"Those things do not have to be solved by leaving a footballer without playing, because then you are hurting your own team and Zidane himself.
"It would mean dropping a footballer who could be crucial in many games. That is usually resolved with a fine."
Rivaldo went on to hail Marc-Andre Ter Stegen following his extraordinary performance in the Supercopa de Espana semi-final with Real Sociedad.
"For me, Ter Stegen is the best goalkeeper I have ever seen at Barcelona, even ahead of Victor Valdes," Rivaldo added.
"Many will not agree with me. I saw Valdes' first steps at Barcelona and it is true that they have a similar style, but despite this I insist that I like Ter Stegen more, he seems better to me.
"Today, he is the best goalkeeper in the world.
"You can use many adjectives, but for me it is not only that he is very good as a goalkeeper, he is also very safe with the ball on his feet, a guarantee."
Ousmane Dembele has shown glimpses of his potential in the last few Barcelona games and Rivaldo stressed that the Frenchman needs to be focused on training to keep progressing.
"I admit that I have criticised him at times," Rivaldo continued. "but what I have always said is that [Dembele] is a great player who simply needs to stop being distracted and focus on what is important: football and Barcelona.
"He has a lot of brilliant resources and he can play with both feet. He has a lot of personality too. If he is focused, he will be able to impress everyone."
ManUtdAmadDialo
507
When said the exactly same thing about Zizou concerning the youngsters, some cheap Real Madrid mobbed Pedri is so lucky to be at Barcelona, otherwise at Real he would be benched evry week or mayb loaned at Getafe or Milan
D10S_LM10
484
We had to let go Alena but still we have lots of young players who is playing for first team on regular basis. We are in transition phase but if we take care of these players we will have great squad in few years.
josephjayjay
311
Rivaldo: "I have always said that the key to managing young talents is not to put too much pressure on them and I think Koeman is doing well, bringing the kids together with Busquets, Messi, Jordi Alba... Koeman deserves to be congratulated and appreciated for that management."
loganLR7
277
he is right......Madrid quest for trophies makes them vulnerable when it comes to young players.......while barca is known for their ability to produce young players and nurture them into world class......Madrid send their young players out on loan to other clubs....then bring them back when they are man enough for the club
Mosanya
125
This season:- - Frenkie De Jong is better than Valverde, Kroos and Modric combined. - Ansu Fati is better than Vinicus and Rodrygo combined. - Araujo is better than Varane. - Coutinho and Griezmann who are called flops have more goals than Hazard this season. - Let's face it, Barca is the better side whether you like it or not, only Real fans will disagree.
_lledox_
109
Well, technically speaking Barcelona has always brought up better youth players than Madrid so what rivaldo is saying isn't a surprise at all. We can look at players like busquets, Messi, xavi, iniesta, Roberto, these are all products of la masia, or look at those coming up now, they are brilliant I'm certainly sure they will dominate world football at some point, look at riqui puig, Ronald araujo, Oscar mingueza, but I personally believe riqui should be given more minutes, that kid is brilliant, he has the ability to crack open an defense with his sensational passing, dribbling, ball control, movement and vision . Visca el barça....
RONALDO_7_ind
77
HEY WHAT ARE YOU SAYING ZIDANE IS GOOD WORLD'S BEST MANAGER ONCE A GREAT MANAGER, ALWAYS A GREAT MANAGER 🔥🔥🔥