"I didn't come on.but i was so proud to be part of the squad at a World cup final.I was nervous beacause we were playing Germany, one of the football's most difficult teams, but when Ronaldo scored twice in the second half, I knew we'd win, With five minutes left, Felipao looked at me on the bench and said: 'Go kid,now's your time.'"
Yes upcoming 7-8 years were really his time. The speaker of above-mentioned line is Brazilian
maestro Kaka, talked about 2002 World Cup final match. The familiar story of a Brazilian street-urchin turned global superstar doesn't apply to Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, but it doesn't lessen his story in the slightest. Kaka joined Sao Paulo as a youngster, and had signed for AC Milan by age 21—but before then, he had to overcome a severe spinal injury that might have ended his career. The Brazilian spent six years at the San Siro, and although that opening campaign was the only one to yield a league title, there was plenty more success—team and individual—ahead to enjoy, as Kaka's particular style and incomparable genius made him a household name for both club and country. To do so for Brazil, in the era he did, should alone be a testament to just how good Kaka was. The great Ronaldo bore the No. 9 shirt,
Ronaldinho the No. 10. There was also Adriano, then still a muscular, unstoppable striker in good standing—yet Kaka had to be included, and Carlos Alberto Parreira found a way to include all four in a 4-2-2-2 system. Kaka's industry and selflessness was the only factor that made it possible, given the others' propensity to remain part of the attack. Kaka remained in the Brazilian squad under various managers—either side of injuries and semi-permanent exiles—to rack up almost a century of caps: 92 in total, the same as Pele, more than Dunga, Rivaldo, Dida or even Neymar so far—though the latter will inevitably surpass him eventually.
Those national-team exploits, though—winning two Confederations Cups, a part of the 2002 World Cup-winning squad, being awarded the Golden Ball at the 2009 Confeds and the favour he found from coaches and fans alike—all stemmed from his unrelenting brilliance at AC Milan.Kaka, in his own way, was every bit as relentless, every bit as productive, every bit as majestic. His gait, particularly when in possession, was mesmeric. Reasonably unusual in stature for a playmaking midfielder at a little over six feet tall, Kaka could still turn and accelerate past a defender in the same way the smaller, low-centre-of-gravity No. 10s would manage—but that same elegant, long-legged stride made him unstoppable on the run. Kaka had real power and acceleration in possession, simultaneously appearing to glide and surge to leave defenders for dead in one-on-one situations; while he rarely showboated with insane stepovers or made opponents look foolish with clever footwork, he was difficult to dispossess. At the end of Kaka's solo dribbles, there came real genius in execution. A perfectly weighted pass between defenders is tough enough to do at the best of times, but to do so on the run, after a 30-metre sprint, often off-balance due to being challenged, is an act of creativity reserved only for the best. An ability not only to make the pass, but to even see it, to witness his team-mates' runs ahead of him and judge just when to initiate releasing the ball, was at-times perfection matched only by the true elite in the modern era: Zinedine Zidane, Andres Iniesta and few
others.
maestro Kaka, talked about 2002 World Cup final match. The familiar story of a Brazilian street-urchin turned global superstar doesn't apply to Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, but it doesn't lessen his story in the slightest. Kaka joined Sao Paulo as a youngster, and had signed for AC Milan by age 21—but before then, he had to overcome a severe spinal injury that might have ended his career. The Brazilian spent six years at the San Siro, and although that opening campaign was the only one to yield a league title, there was plenty more success—team and individual—ahead to enjoy, as Kaka's particular style and incomparable genius made him a household name for both club and country. To do so for Brazil, in the era he did, should alone be a testament to just how good Kaka was. The great Ronaldo bore the No. 9 shirt,
Ronaldinho the No. 10. There was also Adriano, then still a muscular, unstoppable striker in good standing—yet Kaka had to be included, and Carlos Alberto Parreira found a way to include all four in a 4-2-2-2 system. Kaka's industry and selflessness was the only factor that made it possible, given the others' propensity to remain part of the attack. Kaka remained in the Brazilian squad under various managers—either side of injuries and semi-permanent exiles—to rack up almost a century of caps: 92 in total, the same as Pele, more than Dunga, Rivaldo, Dida or even Neymar so far—though the latter will inevitably surpass him eventually.
Those national-team exploits, though—winning two Confederations Cups, a part of the 2002 World Cup-winning squad, being awarded the Golden Ball at the 2009 Confeds and the favour he found from coaches and fans alike—all stemmed from his unrelenting brilliance at AC Milan.Kaka, in his own way, was every bit as relentless, every bit as productive, every bit as majestic. His gait, particularly when in possession, was mesmeric. Reasonably unusual in stature for a playmaking midfielder at a little over six feet tall, Kaka could still turn and accelerate past a defender in the same way the smaller, low-centre-of-gravity No. 10s would manage—but that same elegant, long-legged stride made him unstoppable on the run. Kaka had real power and acceleration in possession, simultaneously appearing to glide and surge to leave defenders for dead in one-on-one situations; while he rarely showboated with insane stepovers or made opponents look foolish with clever footwork, he was difficult to dispossess. At the end of Kaka's solo dribbles, there came real genius in execution. A perfectly weighted pass between defenders is tough enough to do at the best of times, but to do so on the run, after a 30-metre sprint, often off-balance due to being challenged, is an act of creativity reserved only for the best. An ability not only to make the pass, but to even see it, to witness his team-mates' runs ahead of him and judge just when to initiate releasing the ball, was at-times perfection matched only by the true elite in the modern era: Zinedine Zidane, Andres Iniesta and few
others.
Four years at Madrid left some feeling underwhelmed by Kaka's contribution. Was it just injuries that saw him deliver below what he was capable of? Or was he now being measured on a scale of one-to-Ronaldo, who had surpassed not just Kaka, but every player in the world other than Messi by this point?
There isn't another like Kaka, and the genius he brought to the game in the mid-to-late 2000s shouldn't be easily overlooked or forgotten. It seems difficult for the modern football fan to comprehend, but there was a time when the game was not dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and their seemingly eternal, intergalactic battle for supremacy. While both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are arguably the best players of their time and among the best in the history of the game, there was a time when mortals ruled the world and Ricardo Kaka was one of them.
But, given his steep decline after 2007, many simply forgot about the Brazilian genius, while others moved on to new heroes and with injuries playing a major roll on his Real Madrid career, he slowly disappeared from the spotlight. But despite that, there were moments, in his time at the Bernabeu where he enthralled and showed why he was once the most expensive player in the world.
There isn't another like Kaka, and the genius he brought to the game in the mid-to-late 2000s shouldn't be easily overlooked or forgotten. It seems difficult for the modern football fan to comprehend, but there was a time when the game was not dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and their seemingly eternal, intergalactic battle for supremacy. While both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are arguably the best players of their time and among the best in the history of the game, there was a time when mortals ruled the world and Ricardo Kaka was one of them.
But, given his steep decline after 2007, many simply forgot about the Brazilian genius, while others moved on to new heroes and with injuries playing a major roll on his Real Madrid career, he slowly disappeared from the spotlight. But despite that, there were moments, in his time at the Bernabeu where he enthralled and showed why he was once the most expensive player in the world.
By Zavizah.
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