- Name: Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Date and Place of Birth: April 22, 1982 in Brasilia, Brazil
- Position: Midfielder
- Current Club: Real Madrid (La Liga)
- Previous Clubs: Sao Paulo (2001-2003), AC Milan (2003-2009)
- International Career: 2002 to present
Kaka got his nickname from his younger brother who could not pronone ‘Ricardo’. Kaka is a common term of endearment of ‘Ricardo’ in Brazil. He went on to become dear not only to Brazilians, but to the whole of football loving world.
A scintillating midfielder, Kaka now plays for Brazil and the Spanish football giant Real Madrid, who acquired him for a fabulous 70 million Euro from AC Milan. The fleet footed player has an uncanny knack to evade the tackler and provide defense splitting passes and take long range shots at the goal very often with a positive result. No wonder Kaka won the FIFA World Player award in 2007 and was again short listed in 2008.
Kaka was born in Brasilia and his family moved to Sao Paulo when he was seven. His career as a footballer started the Sao Paulo FC at the tender age of eight. And he signed his first contract with them at the age of 15.
However, at the age of 18, Kaka suffered a career-threatening spinal fracture as a result of a swimming pool accident. But he made full recovery and made his senior debut in January 2001 and scored 12 goals in 27 appearances and also led Sao Paulo to its first and only Torneio Rio-Sao Paulo championship. Kaka scored two goals in two minutes in the final.
He was included in the victorious Brazil World Cup squad of 2002, although his debut against Bolivia lasted only 25 minutes. It is no surprise that he was not allowed much time with the likes of Ronaldinho and Rivaldo bursting with energy for Brazil.
But his international career had taken off and the steady European interest in Kaka culminated in his signing with AC Milan in 2003. he was in the starting eleven within a month and scored 10 goals in 30 appearances. Despite Milan losing the 2004-05 Champions League final to Liverpool, Kaka was voted the best midfielder of the tournament.
Even though a midfielder, he would suddenly go on a goal scoring spree. His first hat-trick was in the second half of a match against Chievo in 2005-06. The next season, he scored his first hat-trick in the Champions League against the Belgian side Anderlecht. Not just that, he finished the top scorer in the Champions League with 10 goals.
Kaka has almost become a ‘permanent’ member of the Brazilian team and has scored 23 goals in 62 internationals by the end of 2008. He was the Man of the Match in his first FIFA World Cup Finals in 2006 and scored his first goal against Croatia in Brazil’s 1-0 win. After injuries and exhaustion, Kaka participated in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He received the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament and was also named Man of the Match in the finals against United States.
Whenever Kaka has played, or almost always, Brazil has come out on the top. |
