listen)) or Ricardo Kakà,[3][4][5] is a Brazilian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Italian Serie A club Milan[6] and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club. At the time, he also played tennis,[7] and it was not until he moved on to São Paulo FC and signed his first professional contract with the club at the age of 15 that he chose to focus on football.In 2003 he joined Milan for a fee of €8.5 million. While at Milan, Kaká won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2007. After his success with Milan, Kaká joined Real Madrid for a transfer fee of €65 million[8]. At the time, this was the second highest transfer fee (in euros) ever, behind only the €75 million fee for Zinedine Zidane. In addition to his contributions on the pitch, Kaká is known for his humanitarian work. In 2004, by the time of his appointment, he became the youngest ambassador of the UN World Food Programme.[9] Kaká was the first sportsperson to amass 10 million followers on Twitter.[10
Early life
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite was born in Gama, in Brazil, to Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite (a civil engineer) and Simone dos Santos (an elementary school teacher).[11] He had a financially secure upbringing that allowed him to focus on both school and football at the same time.[12] His younger brother Rodrigo (best known as Digão) and cousin Eduardo Delani are also professional footballers.When he was seven, Kaká's family moved to São Paulo.[13] His school had arranged him in a local youth club called "Alphaville," who qualified to the final in a local tournament.[14] There he was discovered by hometown club São Paulo FC, who offered an assignment.[15]
At the age of 18, Kaká suffered a career-threatening and possibly paralysis-inducing spinal fracture as a result of a swimming pool accident,[16][17] but remarkably made a full recovery. He attributes his recovery to God and has since tithed his income to his church.[17]
Club career
São Paulo
Kaká began his career with São Paulo at the age of eight. He signed a contract at fifteen and led the São Paulo youth squad to Copa de Juvenil glory. He made his senior side debut on 1 Feb 2001 and scored 12 goals in 27 appearances, in addition to leading São Paulo to its first and only Torneio Rio-São Paulo championship, in which he scored two goals in two minutes as a substitute against Botafogo in the final, which São Paulo won 2–1.He scored 10 goals in 22 matches the following season, and by this time his performance was soon attracting attention from European clubs. Kaká made a total of 58 appearances for São Paulo, scoring 23 times.[18]
Milan
Kaká was a part of the five-man midfield in the 2004–05 season, usually playing in a withdrawn role behind striker Andriy Shevchenko. He was supported by Gattuso and Seedorf defensively, as well as Ambrosini, allowing Kaká as the attacking midfielder and Rui Costa or Pirlo as the deep-lying playmaker to be in charge of creating Milan's goalscoring chances, forming a formidable midfield unit in both Italy and Europe. Milan began the season by winning the Supercoppa Italiana against Lazio. He scored seven goals in 36 domestic appearances as Milan finished runner-up in the Scudetto race. Milan also reached the Quarter finals of the Coppa Italia that season. Kaká played a pivotal role in Milan's Champions League campaign that season, helping them to reach the final as favourites against Liverpool. Desite leading 3-0 at half time, Liverpool came back to tie the game and eventually won the match 3-2 on penalties after no goals in extra time, although Kaká was able to net his penalty. Despite Milan losing the 2004–05 Champions League final, Kaká was voted the best midfielder of the tournament, finishing as one of the second-best assist providers, with 4, including the long pass that led to Paolo Maldini's opening goal in the final. Kaká was once again nominated for the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player Awards, finishing 9th and 8th in the respective rankings.
2005–06 saw Kaká score his first hat-tricks in domestic competition. On 9 April 2006, he scored his first Rossoneri hat-trick against Chievo; all three goals were scored in the second half. The following season, he scored his first Champions League hat-trick in a 4–1 group stage win over the Belgian side Anderlecht. Milan were knocked out in the semifinals of the 2005-06 Champions League to eventual champions Barcelona and were once again eliminated in the Quarter Finals of the Coppa Italia. Milan also finished once again as Runner's up in Serie A, with Kaká scoring 17 goals in the league. After the 2006 Calciopoli scandal, however, Milan were deducted 30 points, which placed them in third place. Kaká was nominated for the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year Awards for the third consecutive year, finishing 11th and 7th in the respective awards.
Andriy Shevchenko's departure to Chelsea for the 2006–07 season allowed Kaká to become the focal point of Milan's offense as he alternated between the midfield and forward positions, operating at times as a striker or as a second striker behind Inzaghi as well as in his more typical attacking midfield position. He finished as the top scorer in the 2006–07 Champions League campaign with ten goals, as well as providing three assists. One of the goals helped the Rossoneri eliminate Celtic in the quarter-finals on a 1–0 aggregate, and three others proved fatal for Manchester United in the semi-finals, despite Milan losing the first leg. Milan reached the semifinals of the Coppa Italia that season, losing out to winners Roma, and finished fourth in Serie A. Kaká added the UEFA Champions League title to his trophy case for the first time when Milan defeated Liverpool 2-1 on 23 May 2007, avenging the previous loss on penalties two years before. Though he went scoreless, he won a free kick that led to the first of Filippo Inzaghi's two goals, and provided the assist for the second. For his stellar play throughout the competition, he was voted the Vodafone Fans' Player of the Season in a poll of over 100,000 UEFA.com visitors. On 30 August, Kaká was named by UEFA as both the top forward of the 2006–07 Champions League season and UEFA Club Footballer of the Year.[21] He once again finished as the second assist provider of the Champions League, with 5 and was voted the 2007 IFFHS World's Best Playmaker.[22]
Due to his contributions on and off the pitch, Time magazine named Kaká in the Time 100, a list of the world's 100 most influential people, on 2 May.[27] On 14 October, he cast his footprints into the Estádio do Maracanã's sidewalk of fame, in a section dedicated to the memory of the country's top players.[28] He won the honor again in 2009.[29] Kaká finished the 2007-08 season with 15 goals in Serie A and was nominated as a finalist for the FIFA World Player, finishing in fourth place, and was nominated for the Ballon d'Or, finishing in 8th place.
BBC reported on 13 January 2009 that Manchester City made a bid for Kaká for over £100 million. Milan director Umberto Gandini replied that Milan would only discuss the matter if Kaká and Manchester City agreed to personal terms.[30] Kaká initially responded by telling reporters he wanted to "grow old" at Milan and dreamed of captaining the club one day, but later said, "If Milan want to sell me, I’ll sit down and talk. I can say that as long as the club don’t want to sell me, I'll definitely stay."[31] On 19 January, Silvio Berlusconi announced that Manchester City had officially ended their bid after a discussion between the clubs, and that Kaká would remain with Milan.[32] Milan supporters had protested outside the club headquarters earlier that evening, and later chanted outside Kaká's home, where he saluted them by flashing his jersey outside a window.[33] Kaká finished his final season by scoring 16 goals, allowing Milan to finish tied in second place with Juventus, once again being elected as a finalist for the FIFA World Player of the Year Award, finishing in fourth place for the second consecutive year. He was also nominated for the Ballon D'Or award, finishing in sixth place.
Real Madrid
Kaká made his unofficial debut on 7 August 2009, in a 5–1 friendly victory against Toronto FC.[38] He scored his first goal for Madrid during a pre-season match on 19 August 2009, in a 5–0 victory against Borussia Dortmund.[39] Kaká later made his league debut on 29 August 2009 in a 3–2 win against Deportivo La Coruña.[40] He scored his first goal, a penalty kick, on 23 September, in a 2–0 win against Villarreal.[41] Real Madrid finished the season as Runner's-up in La Liga, with Kaká scoring 8 goals and providing 6 assists in La Liga, and 9 goals and 8 assists in all competitions.
On 5 August 2010, Real Madrid announced that Kaká had undergone a successful surgery on a long-standing left knee injury and would face up to four months on the sidelines.[42] Kaká returned to training after a long lay-off and manager Jose Mourinho said that having Kaká back was like a new signing.[43][44]
In March 2011, Kaká suffered from Iliotibial band syndrome which kept him sidelined for a few weeks. After returning from injury, he appeared in a convincing win over Valencia, scoring two goals. At the end of his second season with the club, Real Madrid and Kaká had won the Copa del Rey, although they finished as runners-up in both La Liga and in the Supercopa de España to rivals Barcelona. Real Madrid were also knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Barcelona in the semifinals of the competition. Kaká finished his season with 7 goals and 6 assists in all competitions in 20 appearances.
On 27 September 2011, Kaká experienced one of his best matches as a Real Madrid player during a 3–0 victory over Ajax in the Champions League, as he scored one goal, provided one assist and participated in one of the best team build-ups of the matchday: a counterattacking move involving Özil, Ronaldo and Benzema.[47] He was later chosen the best player of the Champions League Matchday.[48] With this match, Kaká experienced one of the best starts to a season he's ever had, scoring two goals, serving two assists and provoking one penalty for his team.[49] Real Madrid won La Liga with a record 100 points that year, with Kaká providing 9 assists and scoring 5 goals in the competition. They were, however, eliminated for the second year in a row in the semifinals of the Champions League, losing out to eventual runners-up Bayern Munich on penalties. The decisive misses for Real Madrid were by Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká and Sergio Ramos. Kaká was one of the top assist providers of the Champions League that season, providing 5 assists. He finished the season with 8 goals and 14 assists in all club competitions. Real Madrid were eliminated in the Quarter Finals of the Copa del Rey by the eventual winners, Barcelona.
Real Madrid began the 2012-13 season by winning the 2012 Supercopa de España against rivals Barcelona. On 4 December 2012, after scoring in a 4–1 win against Ajax, Kaká became the top Brazilian goalscorer in Champions League history with 28 goals.[50] After the match, Kaká said "This was an important goal for me, and I hope I've still got goals left to help Real Madrid. It was an important win and a special night."[51] Kaká came on just before an hour was played, but was sent off as he was controversially booked twice within 18 minutes in a 0–0 draw against Osasuna on 12 January 2013.[52] It was his first sending off at Real since he joined from Milan in 2009 and his first red card since he was dismissed playing for Brazil against the Côte d'Ivoire at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[53] On 29 August 2013, Kaká expressed his desire to leave Real Madrid.[54] Real Madrid finished the season in second place in La Liga behind Barcelona and also finished runners-up in the Copa del Rey Final to Intercity rivals Atletico de Madrid. They were eliminated in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League for the third consecutive year, by eventual runners-up Borussia Dortmund. Overall, Kaká has scored 32 goals and provided 32 assists in 120 appearances over four seasons whilst playing for Real Madrid. He has made few starts for the club, however, and has only played 15 full 90-minute matches for the club.[55][56]
Return to Milan
Milan confirmed that Kaka would join the club on 2 September 2013 from Real Madrid on a free transfer with only performance-related incentives due to Madrid, after agreeing terms and signing a two-year contract.[57] Kaka's contract is worth €4 million net per year and was given the number 22 shirt, the same number he wore for Milan during his first spell.[58]International career
In 2003, Kaká was the captain for the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, where Brazil, competing with their under-23 team, finished as runner-up to Mexico. He scored three goals during the tournament. He was included in Brazil's squad for 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany. He appeared in all five matches and scored one goal in a 4–1 win over Argentina in the final.
Kaká started in his first FIFA World Cup finals in 2006 and scored his first and only goal of the tournament in Brazil's 1–0 victory over Croatia in Brazil's opener, for which he was named Man of the Match.[60] He was unable to keep up the momentum for the remainder of the tournament, as Brazil was eliminated by France in the quarter-finals. In a friendly against rivals Argentina on 3 September 2006, after entering as a substitute, he received the ball off a deflection from an Argentina corner kick and outran Lionel Messi while taking the ball down three quarters of the field to score.[61]
On 12 May 2007, citing an exhaustive schedule of Serie A, Champions League, and national team play, Kaká bowed out of the 2007 Copa América, which Brazil won.[62] After missing out on the Copa América, he returned to play in Brazil's friendly match against Algeria on 22 August 2007.
Kaká participated in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, marking his first international tournament since the 2006 World Cup. His only two goals came in Brazil's group stage opener against Egypt on 14 June, when he scored a goal in the fifth minute and then added a 90th-minute penalty in Brazil's 4–3 victory.[63] Kaká also provided two assists throughout the tournament. He received the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament at the Confederations Cup and was also named the Man of the Match in the final after helping Brazil to a 3–2 win against the United States.[64][65][66]
After more than one year absence from the national team, Kaká was recalled on 27 October 2011 for the friendly matches against Gabon and Egypt in November.[68] He later had to be removed from the squad due to an injury, and thus didn't play either of the matches.
After not appearing for Brazil in two years, Kaká was recalled on 28 September 2012 for the friendly matches against Iraq and Japan in October.[69] Following his recall to the Seleção squad, Kaká stated "I admit it was a surprise this call... When the list was published, I was extremely happy. It was like my first call-up."[70] Brazil coach Mano Menezes stated that despite Kaká and Oscar's similarities, the two would be able to play alongside each other as Kaká had slightly changed his game.[71] On his return to national side, Kaká scored in both matches, a 6–0 win over Iraq[72] and a 4–0 win over Japan.[73] Kaká retained his place in the squad for Brazil's 1000th game in history, a 1–1 friendly draw against Colombia on 14 November 2012.[74]
On 5 March 2013, Kaká was called up by Brazilian national team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari for first time since the coach's return, for friendlies with Italy in London and Russia in Geneva, both taking place late in that month.[75][76]
Style of play
Kaká has been described as a quick, composed, balanced, highly skilful and creative team player. He possesses excellent ball control, awareness and positioning, and is capable of beating defenders on one on one situations as well as creating space for team mates.[77] He possesses a great shot from any distance, superb vision and fantastic passing and dribbling ability.[78] Having performed predominantly as a playmaking attacking midfielder throughout his career, as well as other attacking positions, he is known for being capable of both scoring, creating and assisting goals, and is also an accurate penalty-kick taker.[79]Personal life
Kaká was sworn in as an Italian citizen on 12 February 2007.[83] He features prominently in Adidas advertising and also has a modeling contract with Armani, the latter preventing him from appearing in a photo collection alongside his Milan teammates that was published by Dolce & Gabbana in early 2007.
Kaká cited Raí, the former Brazilian and São Paulo FC captain, as his footballing role model.[84][85]
He is best friends with Marcelo Saragosa, who plays as a midfielder for the team D.C. United in the United States. They each served as the best man at the other's wedding.[86] He is also close friends with Radamel Falcao.[87]
Kaká was a follower of the evangelical Rebirth in Christ Church[88] and devout evangelical Christian. Kaká became engrossed in religion at the age of 12: "I learnt that it is faith that decides whether something will happen or not." He removed his jersey to reveal an "I Belong to Jesus" t-shirt and openly engaged in prayer moments after the final whistle of Brazil's 2002 World Cup, and Milan's 2004 Scudetto and 2007 Champions League triumphs. He also had the same phrase, along with "God Is Faithful," stitched onto the tongues of his boots.[89] During the postmatch celebration following Brazil's 4–1 win over Argentina in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup final, he and several of his teammates wore t-shirts that read "Jesus Loves You" in various languages. While receiving the FIFA World Footballer of the year in 2007 he said when he was young he just wanted to be a professional player for São Paulo and play one game for the Brazil national team but that "God gave [him] more than he ever asked for".[90]
Though sharing a common goal, Kaká is not currently a formal member of the organization Atletas de Cristo ("Athletes of Christ").[91] In goal celebrations he usually points to the sky as a gesture of thanks to God. Kaká's favourite music is gospel,[92] and his favourite book is the Bible.[93] Since November 2004, he has served as an Ambassador Against Hunger for the UN's World Food Programme, the youngest to do so at the time of his appointment.[9]
On August 2010, EA Sports announced that Kaká has been chosen for the cover of FIFA 11.[94]
Kaká has a musical side to himself as he performed a song with his wife, Caroline, on her debut album. The song, entitled Presente de Deus, was written by Kaká himself for his wife and was resonated in the church during their wedding in 2005.[95]
His nickname Kaká is a common hypocorism for Ricardo in Brazil.[citation needed] In Kaká's case, it was created by his younger brother Digão's inability to pronounce "Ricardo" when they were young.[89]
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