Following Rocco's second departure from the club in 1973, the club's management attempted to persuade Rivera to leave Milan, although Rivera ultimately chose to remain with the club. During this period, Milan also reached the Coppa Italia final during the 1974–75 season, and won another Coppa Italia title in the 1976–77 season. Rivera won the last "scudetto" of his playing career in his final season with the club, under manager Nils Liedholm, at the age of 35; despite his own advancing age and physical decline, he still contributed to Milan's League title in 1979, the club's tenth overall, with 13 appearances and a goal, which earned "The Devils" a star on their jersey. His final career appearance came in a 1–1 away draw with Lazio in the league, on 13 May; he officially announced his retirement on 10 June. In total, Rivera played for Milan in 501 Serie A matches and scored 122 league goals, with a total of 164 goals in 658 appearances in all competitions for Milan. With 128 goals in 527 Serie A appearances across 20 seasons, he is the 11th most capped player in Serie A history and the highest scoring midfielder in the league's history. In total, Rivera scored 170 goals in all club competitions in 684 appearances.