Kaká
 Kaká in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 22 April 1982[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Gama, Federal District, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–2000 | São Paulo | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2003 | São Paulo | 59 | (23) |
| 2003–2009 | AC Milan | 193 | (70) |
| 2009–2013 | Real Madrid | 85 | (23) |
| 2013–2014 | AC Milan | 30 | (7) |
| 2014–2017 | Orlando City | 75 | (24) |
| 2014 | → São Paulo (On loan) | 19 | (2) |
| Total | 461 | (149) | |
| International career | |||
| 2001 | Brazil U20 | 5 | (1) |
| 2002–2016 | Brazil | 92 | (29) |
Medal record | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁiˈkaʁdu iˈzɛksõ duˈsɐ̃tuz ˈlejtʃi]; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká (Portuguese: [kaˈka] ) or Ricardo Kaká,[4][5] is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. In his prime as a playmaker at AC Milan, where he was known for his passing, pace, goalscoring, and dribbling, Kaká was widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation.[6][7][8][9] With success for both club and country, he is one of the nine players to win the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the Ballon d'Or.[10][11]
In 2001, at age 18, Kaká made his professional debut at the Brazilian club São Paulo, and his club performances led to Serie A club AC Milan signing him in 2003. In Italy, Kaká helped Milan win the Serie A title in his first season. Milan finished runner-up in the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League with Kaká being the top assist provider of the tournament, and he was named the UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year. He led Milan to win the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League and was the tournament's top goal scorer. His performances saw him win the FIFA World Player of the Year, the 2007 Ballon d'Or, and the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year. After six years with Milan, Kaká joined Real Madrid in 2009 for a transfer fee of €67 million,[12] which was the second highest transfer fee at the time. However, his four seasons in Madrid were plagued with injuries, which saw his pace decline. He returned to AC Milan for a single season in 2013, prior to joining MLS expansion club Orlando City SC. He initially went on loan to his former club São Paulo before returning to Orlando in 2015 and retiring from professional football in 2017.
Kaká made his debut for the Brazil national team in 2002 and was selected for the 2002 FIFA World Cup squad, which won the tournament that year. He also played in the 2006 World Cup, alongside other veterans like Ronaldo, Adriano, and Ronaldinho. He made his final World Cup appearance in 2010. He was also a member of Brazil's 2005 and 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup-winning squads, winning the Golden Ball Award in 2009 as the tournament's best player.
Between 2006 and 2009, he was named in both the FIFA World XI and the UEFA Team of the Year three times. In 2010, he was named in the AC Milan Hall of Fame.[13] One of the world's most famous athletes during his playing career, Kaká was the first sportsperson to amass 10 million followers on Twitter.[14][15] Outside of football, Kaká is known for his humanitarian work, where he became the youngest ambassador of the UN World Food Programme in 2004.[16] For his contributions on and off the pitch, Kaká was listed by Time as one of the world's 100 most influential people in 2008 and in 2009.[17]
Early life
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite was born in Gama, Federal District, to Simone dos Santos, an elementary school teacher, and Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite, a civil engineer.[18] His family was financially secure, which allowed him to focus on school and football at the same time.[19] His younger brother Digão and cousin Eduardo Delani are also professional footballers. Digão called him "Caca" due to his inability to pronounce "Ricardo" when they were young; it eventually evolved into Kaká.[20] The word has no specific Portuguese translation.[21]
When he was seven, Kaká's family moved to São Paulo in the homonymous state.[22] His school had arranged him in a local youth club called "Alphaville", who qualified to the final in a local tournament.[23] There, he was discovered by hometown club São Paulo FC, who offered him a place in the youth academy.[24] At the age of 18, Kaká suffered a career-threatening spinal fracture as a result of a swimming pool accident,[25][26] but made a full recovery. He attributes his recovery to God and has since tithed his income to his church.[26]
Club career
São Paulo
Kaká began his career with São Paulo at the age of eight.[24] He signed a contract at 15 and led the São Paulo youth squad to Copa de Juvenil glory. He made his senior side debut on 1 February 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.[27]
He scored ten goals in 22 matches the following season, and by this time his performance was soon attracting attention from European clubs.[28] Kaká made a total of 58 appearances for São Paulo, scoring 23 times.[29]
AC Milan
The steady European interest in Kaká culminated in his signing with the European champions, Italian club AC Milan, in 2003 for a fee of reported €8.5 million, described in retrospect as "peanuts" by club owner Silvio Berlusconi.[30] Within a month, he cracked the starting lineup, replacing Rui Costa in the attacking midfield playmaking position, behind strikers Jon Dahl Tomasson, Filippo Inzaghi and Andriy Shevchenko. His Serie A debut was in a 2–0 win over Ancona. He scored ten goals in 30 appearances that season, also providing several important assists, such as the cross which led to Shevchenko's title-deciding headed goal, as Milan won the Scudetto and the UEFA Super Cup, whilst finishing as runner up in the Intercontinental Cup and the 2003 Supercoppa Italiana.[31] Milan also reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, losing out to eventual winners Lazio, and were knocked out of the quarter-finals of the Champions League by Deportivo La Coruña. Due to his performances in his debut season, in 2004, Kaká was named Serie A Footballer of the Year, and was nominated for both the Ballon d'Or (finishing 15th) and the 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year (finishing 10th).[32]
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 Gennaro Gattuso and Clarence Seedorf defensively, as well as Massimo Ambrosini, allowing Kaká as the attacking midfielder and Rui Costa or Andrea 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 against Liverpool, scoring two goals and providing five assists. Dubbed the "Miracle of Istanbul", Milan led 3–0 at half time, before Liverpool staged a comeback, scoring three goals in six minutes, and eventually won the match 3–2 on penalties.[33] A match widely regarded as one of the greatest finals in the competition's history, Kaká was imperious in the first half; he first won the early free-kick which led to Paolo Maldini's opening goal, began the play that led to Hernán Crespo's first goal and Milan's second of the night, then executed a long curling pass that split open the Liverpool defence and rolled directly into the path of Crespo to score Milan's third.[33][34][35] Kaká was once again nominated for the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year Awards, finishing ninth and eighth respectively, and he was named the 2005 UEFA Club Football Best Midfielder.
The 2005–06 season saw Kaká score his first hat-tricks in domestic competitions. On 9 April 2006, he scored his first Rossoneri hat-trick against Chievo, with all three goals scored in the second half.[36] Milan were knocked out in the semi-finals 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 runners-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 in the table. 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 seventh respectively. He was also selected to be part of both the UEFA Team of the Year[37] and the FIFPro World XI for the first time in his career.[38]
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 Filippo Inzaghi, as well as in his more typical attacking midfield position. On 2 November 2006, he scored his first Champions League hat-trick in a 4–1 group stage win over the Belgian side Anderlecht.[39] He finished as the top scorer in the 2006–07 Champions League campaign with ten goals.[40] One of the goals helped the Rossoneri eliminate Celtic in the round of 16, 1–0 on aggregate,[41] and he scored three goals against Manchester United in the semi-finals.[42][43] Milan also reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia that season, losing out to winners Roma, and finished fourth in Serie A.
Kaká won the Champions League title 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.[44] 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, as well as being named as part of the UEFA Team of the Year for the second time.[45][46] He once again finished as the second-best assist-provider of the Champions League, providing five, and was voted the 2007 IFFHS World's Best Playmaker.[47]
Milan began its 2007–08 season by winning the UEFA Super Cup on 31 August, defeating Sevilla 3–1, with Kaká scoring the third goal.[48] Kaká had made a dribbling run into Sevilla's area, winning a penalty, which he then proceeded to take. Although it was saved by goalkeeper Andrés Palop, Kaká scored on the rebound with a header. Kaká had previously hit the post in the first half.[49] He played his 200th career match with Milan in a 1–1 home draw with Catania on 30 September, scoring from a penalty,[50] and on 5 October, he was named the 2006–07 FIFPro World Player of the Year, and was elected as part of the FIFPro World XI for the second time in his career.[51][52] On 2 December 2007, Kaká became the eighth Milan player to win the Ballon d'Or, as he finished with a decisive 444 votes, well ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.[53][54] He signed a contract extension through 2013 with Milan on 29 February 2008.[55]
"He's the complete player."
—Pelé on Kaká after he was named the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year.[56]
On 16 December, Kaká won the FIFA Club World Cup against Boca Juniors, scoring Milan's third goal of the match in a 4–2 victory which allowed them to be crowned World Champions. Kaká had previously assisted Filippo Inzaghi's opening goal of the match and also assisted Inzaghi's final goal of the match after an impressive exchange with Clarence Seedorf; he was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the competition.[57] On 17 December, Kaká was voted the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year with 1,047 votes, ahead of Lionel Messi with 504 and Cristiano Ronaldo with 426.[58][59]
In January 2008, Kaká was also named the 2007 Serie A Footballer of the Year, winning the award for the second time in his career. His contributions on and off the pitch saw Time magazine name Kaká in the Time 100 list on 2 May.[60] 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.[61] Kaká finished the 2007–08 season with 15 goals in Serie A. His best goals included a curling strike from 30 yards into the top corner against Lazio, a powerful strike from the edge of the 18-yard box against Cagliari, and a now trademark slalom run past a number of Udinese players before bending the ball into the bottom corner.[62] He was nominated as a finalist for the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year, finishing fourth, and was nominated for the Ballon d'Or, finishing in eighth. He was named in the six-man shortlist for the 2008 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, and was selected in the FIFPro World XI for the third time in his career.[63] He was named in the Time 100 again in 2009.[64]
The 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.[65] 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."[66] 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.[67] 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.[68] Kaká finished his final season with Milan by scoring 16 goals, helping Milan finish third in Serie A, and once again being elected as a finalist for the FIFA World Player of the Year Award, finishing fourth in voting for the second-straight year. He was also nominated for the Ballon d'Or award, finishing in sixth place, and was named in the UEFA Team of the Year for the third time in his career.[69]
Real Madrid
On 3 June 2009, it was reported that newly elected Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez had offered to buy Kaká from Milan for a reported €68.5 million,[70][71] two days after the player had left for international duty with Brazil.[72] Milan vice-chairman and CEO Adriano Galliani confirmed that he and Kaká's father, Bosco Leite, had traveled to Mexico to meet with La Volpe: "We had lunch and spoke about Kaká. I don't deny it. Negotiations exist, but a deal has yet to be done."[73] On 4 June, Galliani told Gazzetta dello Sport that financial reasons were his motive for the talks with La Volpe: "We cannot allow [Milan] to lose €70 million ... The reasons behind Kaká's departure would be economic."[73][74] On 8 June, Milan and Real Madrid confirmed Kaká's move to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on a six-year deal[75][76] for €67 million fee.[12]
Kaká was unveiled as a Real Madrid player on 30 June 2009, and he made his unofficial debut on 7 August 2009 in a 5–1 friendly victory against Toronto FC.[77] He scored his first goal for Madrid during a pre-season match on 19 August 2009, in a 5–0 victory against Borussia Dortmund.[78] Kaká later made his league debut on 29 August 2009 in a 3–2 win against Deportivo de La Coruña.[79] He scored his first goal, a penalty, on 23 September in a 2–0 win against Villarreal.[80] Real Madrid finished the season as runners-up in La Liga, with Kaká scoring eight goals and providing six assists in La Liga, and nine goals and eight assists in all competitions.[81]
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.[82] Kaká returned to training after a long lay-off, with manager José Mourinho commenting that having Kaká back from injury was like a new signing.[83][84] After an eight-month absence, Kaká returned to play by entering as a substitute for Karim Benzema on the 77th minute of a 3–2 victory over Getafe on 3 January 2011. He said he was "(...) happy for playing a game again and for stepping onto a pitch."[85] His first league goal (and his first of the season) after his return from injury came with an assist from Cristiano Ronaldo on a 4–2 victory over Villarreal on 9 January 2011.[86]
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 Champions League by Barcelona in the semi-finals of the competition. Kaká finished his season with seven goals and six assists in all competitions in 20 appearances.[81]
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 Mesut Özil, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.[87] Kaká was later chosen the best player of the Champions League Matchday.[88] With this match, Kaká experienced one of the best starts to a season he has ever had, scoring two goals, serving two assists and winning one penalty for his team.[89] In 2011–12, Real Madrid won La Liga with a record 100 points that year, with Kaká providing nine assists and scoring five goals in the competition.[81] They were, however, eliminated for the second year in a row in the semi-finals of the Champions League, losing out to eventual runners-up Bayern Munich on penalties. The decisive misses for Real Madrid were by Ronaldo, Kaká and Sergio Ramos. He finished the season with eight goals and 14 assists in all club competitions.[81] Real Madrid were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey by eventual winners Barcelona.
Real Madrid began the 2012–13 season by winning the 2012 Supercopa de España against rivals Barça. 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.[90] 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."[91] Kaká came on just before an hour was played, but was sent off as he was booked twice within 18 minutes in a 0–0 draw against Osasuna on 12 January 2013.[92] It was his first sending-off at Madrid since he joined from Milan in 2009 and his first red card since he was dismissed playing for Brazil against Ivory Coast at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[93] Real Madrid finished the season in second place in La Liga behind Barcelona, and also finished runners-up in the Copa del Rey to city rivals Atlético Madrid. They were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Champions League for the third consecutive year by eventual runners-up Borussia Dortmund.
On 29 August 2013, Kaká expressed his desire to leave Real Madrid,[94] having scored 29 goals and provided 32 assists in 120 appearances in all competitions over four seasons at the club.[95][96] He said goodbye to Real Madrid and its fans in an open letter on Twitter.[97]
Return to AC Milan
Milan confirmed that Kaká would join the club on 2 September 2013 from Real Madrid on a free transfer with only performance-related incentives owed to Madrid; after agreeing to personal terms, he signed a two-year contract.[98][99] Kaká's contract was worth €4 million net per year and he was given the number 22 shirt, the same number he wore for Milan during his first spell.[100][101] He was also made the vice-captain upon his arrival.[102] He captained Milan in his debut for his second spell, taking the armband from goalkeeper Marco Amelia in a match against Chiasso.[103]
Kaká tore his left adductor muscle during his first competitive appearance, deciding not to accept any wages from Milan whilst he regained fitness.[104] He made his return for Milan on 19 October after coming on as a 76th-minute substitute in a 1–0 home victory against Udinese. In his next match, on 22 October, Kaká assisted Robinho in the 1–1 home draw against Barcelona in the Champions League. His first goal, described by ESPN as "a sensational curling shot from the edge of the area into the top right-hand corner," opened the scoring in a 1–1 home draw at San Siro to Lazio on 30 October.[105] On 7 January 2014, Kaká scored his 100th goal for Milan by an opening goal in a match against Atalanta; he later went on to score another goal 30 minutes later.[106] On 11 March he scored a goal against Atlético Madrid in Vicente Calderón Stadium, this goal made him the last player to score against Atlético Madrid at Vicente Calderón for three seasons in knockout phase until Isco scored against them in