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(( ~Ricardo Kaka~ ))

Career

International career

Kaká made his international debut in January 2002 against Bolivia. He was a part of the national squad which won the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but did not see much action playing just 19 minutes of the 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 the second place and 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 helped Brazil qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Kaká has matured as a player and is currently considered as one of the best footballers from Brazil. He scored Brazil's first goal in the 2006 FIFA World Cup against Croatia on 13 June 2006.

He wears number 8 for the national squad.

2006 World Cup

In the first match for Brazil, in group F, Kaká scored a goal in the 44th minute against Croatia. A left-foot strike from 25 meters led Brazil to the 1-0 victory. The media regarded him as the only member of the "magic quintet" – Adriano, Kaká, Ronaldo, Robinho and Ronaldinho – who produced in the match. Unfortunately, he was unable to carry his momentum into further matches and Brazil were eventually eliminated by France in the quarter finals.

Club career

Kaká made his debut at Săo Paulo FC in 2001 when he was 19 years old. In the first season, he scored 12 goals in 27 appearances, and 10 goals in 22 appearances in the following season. The performance attracted attention from European clubs, and it was Milan who won the race to sign him.

He joined AC Milan in 2003 for $8.5m, a fee described as "peanuts" by club owner Silvio Berlusconi. Within a month, he became a regular for the first team, the place he has secured 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 five-man midfield in the 2004-05 season, usually playing in a withdrawn role behind striker Andriy Shevchenko. 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 in the ninth place in the 2005 Golden Ball standing, earning 19 votes.

One of Kaká's more famous goals was the one against Fenerbahçe SK in the AC Milan's first game in the 2005-06 Champions League, won 3-1 by the Rossoneri. It had pundits draw instant comparisons to Diego Maradona, as Kakŕ started his run from the 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 number 22 for Milan. He recently extended his contract with the club until 2011.

 

 

Club career statistics

Club Season Domestic
League		 Domestic Cup
& Super Cup		 Continental
Championship		 Toyota Cup Total
App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals
AC Milan 2005-06 33 14 2 0 8 5 - - 38 19
2004-05 36 7 2 0 13 2 - - 51 9
2003-04 30 10 4 0 13 2 1 0 48 12
Total 93 25 8 0 33 8 1 0 134 33
Săo Paulo FC 2003 9 2 0 0 - - 9 2
2002 22 9 0 0 - - 22 9
2001 27 12 0 0 - - 27 12
Total 58 23 0 0 0 0 - - 58 23
Career Totals 152 48 8 0 33 8

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