Ricardo Izecson
dos Santos Leite (born April 22, 1982), better known as Kaká, is
a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Brazil and
the Serie A club A.C. Milan. He is widely regarded by football
pundits as one of the best midfielders in the world.
Biography
Kaká was born in Brasília, Brazil, and his younger brother,
Rodrigo Ifrano Dos Santos Leite, known as Digăo, has followed in
his brother's footsteps and is currently on loan with Serie B
team Rimini, after having spent some time in the AC Milan youth
squad.
The nickname Kaká, from his native Portuguese, is pronounced as
it is spelled. The accent would signify that the stress is on
the second syllable.
In Italian, the
language of his current team, the phonetic equivalent is written
as Kakŕ, which is used for Italian television graphics. However,
the player's shirt name is spelled KAKA' (with an apostrophe,
rather than an accented 'A') for both Milan and in the past,
Brazil. As of World Cup 2006 the back of his shirt reads 'KAKÁ'
for Brazil.
An internet discussion forum explains the
nickname as a commonly used shortened form of "Ricardo" in Portuguese.
Kaká is supposed to have got his nickname because his little brother
Rodrigo could not pronounce the word "Ricardo" when they were young.
Rodrigo called his older brother "Caca" which the latter later changed
to "Kaká".
Kaká suffered an accident when he made a faulty jump off a diving board,
resulting in a vertebra fracture. This could have meant the end of his
football career. It did not, however, and he has stated that he feels
that Jesus was responsible for his recovery. When AC Milan won the Serie
A title in 2004, Kaká subtly sported a shirt with the slogan "I belong
to Jesus." He also points his fingers to the sky every time he scores.
Kaká is a very devoted Christian and a long-time member of "Athletes For
God" with another famous Brazilian player, Cafu. Kaká has stated in
interviews that he loves gospel music, namely music by the Christian
bands Switchfoot and Sonicflood.
Personal life
Kaká married Caroline Celico on 23 December 2005 in Săo Paulo. The
wedding was attended by fellow players from his national team, as well
as other well known international players. Guests included Ronaldo,
Adriano, Cafu, Dida, Júlio Baptista and Brazilian national coach Carlos
Alberto Parreira. Kaká first met Celico in 2002, and they started dating
soon after. The relationship survived Kaká's move from Săo Paulo to
Italy in 2003, while she was still at school. It is likely that Celico
will stay in Brazil in the short-run, but the couple plan to live
together in Italy soon. Against the stereotypical trend of football
stars, Kaká is proud he was a virgin when he married. Celico's mother,
Rosangela Lyra, is the director of Dior in Brazil.
Career
International career
Kaká made his international debut in January 2002 against Bolivia. He
was a part of the national squad at the 2002 World Cup, but did not see
much action even as Brazil won the World Championship, playing just 19
minutes of a first round match against Costa Rica. In 2003, he was the
captain for the Gold Cup tournament in the US and Mexico, leading Brazil
to second place. This feat included scoring key goals against Colombia.
Later, he was in action at the 2004 Copa América and the 2005
Confederations Cup, which were both won by Brazil, with Kakŕ scoring in
the Confederation Cup final win over Argentina. (During the postmatch
celebration, he and several of his teammates sported T-shirts with "Jesus
Loves You" written in different languages.) He finished in joint tenth
place in the voting for the 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award. In
the 2005 competition he finished two places higher. More recently, he
has helped Brazil qualify for the 2006 World Cup. Kaká has matured as a
player and is currently considered one of the best Brazilian footballers.
He scored Brazil's first goal in the 2006 World Cup against Croatia on
13 June 2006.
He wears the number 8 shirt for the national squad.
Club career
Kaká made his debut at Săo Paulo FC in 2001 when he was only 19 years
old. That season he scored 12 goals in 27 appearances, and a further 10
goals in 22 appearances the following season, soon attracting attention
from European clubs, and it was Milan who won the race to sign him.
He joined Milan in 2003 for $8.5m, a fee described as "peanuts" by club
owner Silvio Berlusconi. Within a month, he had become part of the first
team and has held his position ever since. His first appearance came in
a match at Ancona, which Milan won 2-0. In all, he scored 10 goals in 30
appearances that season, winning the Italian Serie A Championship and
the European Super Cup.
Kaká was an integral part of the team in the 2004-05 season, usually
playing in a withdrawn role behind team-mate and good friend, striker
Andriy Shevchenko, in a five-man midfield. He scored 7 goals in 36
league appearances, and also won the Italian Super Cup with the club.
Milan finished second to Juventus in the Serie A, and lost the UEFA
Champions League final to Liverpool on penalty kicks. He was, however,
voted the best midfielder in the European tournament. He also ended up
ninth position on the 2005 Golden Ball standing, earning 19 votes.
One of Kaká's more famous goals was the one against
Fenerbahçe SK, during AC Milan's first game in the 2005-06 Champions
League, won 3-1 by the Rossoneri, and which had pundits drawing instant
comparisons with Diego Maradona. Kakŕ started his run from midfield and
skipped past three tackles before entering the area and finishing with a
low shot under Fenerbahçe goalkeeper Volkan Demirel.
On April 9, 2006, he scored his first Serie A hat-trick, against Chievo
Verona. All three goals were scored in the second half.
He wears the number 22 shirt for the club. He also most recently
extended his Milan contract until 2011.
2006 World Cup
In the first match for Brazil, in group F, Kaká scored a goal in the
44th minute against Croatia. A left footed strike from 25 meters out led
Brazil to victory, 1-0. After the match, the media regarded him as the
only member of the 'magic quartet' - comprising of Adriano, Kaká,
Ronaldo and Ronaldinho - that worked.
Season
Team Pres. Gol Min.
2005/2006 MILAN 34 13
2502
2004/2005 MILAN 36 7
3052
2003/2004 MILAN 30 10
2355
Total in A
100 30 8010
Palmares
1 World Cup Winner (2002)
1 Italian League Winner (2004)
1 Confederations Cup (2005)
1 Eeuropean Supercup (2003)
1 Italian Supercup (2004)
