This is a Portuguese name; the first family name is Santos and the second is Leite.
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁiˈkaɾdu iˈzɛksõ duˈsɐ̃tus ˈlejtʃi]; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká, is a Brazilian football midfielder who currently plays for Real Madrid C.F.[1] and the Brazilian national team. He started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club. At the time, he also played tennis,[2] and it was not until he moved on to São Paulo FC and signed his first professional contract with the club at the age of fifteen that he chose to focus on football. In 2003 he joined A.C. Milan for a fee of €8.5 million. While at Milan, Kaká won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2007. In addition to his contributions on the pitch, Kaká is known for his humanitarian work. In 2004, by the time of his appointment, he became the youngest ambassador of the United Nations' World Food Programme. [3]
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite | ||
| Date of birth | April 22, 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Brasília, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Real Madrid | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–2000 | São Paulo | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2003 | São Paulo | 59 | (23) |
| 2003–2009 | Milan | 193 | (70) |
| 2009– | Real Madrid | 22 | (8) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2002– | Brazil | 81 | (27) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:51, 24 April 2010 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Early life
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite was born in Brasília to Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite (a civil engineer) and Simone Cristina Santos Leite.[citation needed] He had a financially-secure upbringing that allowed him to focus on both school and football at the same time.[4] His younger brother Rodrigo (best known as Digão) and cousin Eduardo Delani are also professional footballers.
When he was seven, his family moved to São Paulo.[5] His school had arranged him in a local youth club called "Alphaville," who qualified to the final in a local tournament.[6] There he was discovered by hometown club São Paulo FC, who offered an assignment.[7]
At the age of 18, Kaká suffered a career-threatening and possibly paralysis-inducing spinal fracture as a result of a swimming pool accident,[8][9] but remarkably made a full recovery. He attributes his recovery to God and has since tithed his income to his church.[9]
Club career
São Paulo
Kaká began his career with São Paulo at the age of eight. He signed a contract at fifteen and led the São Paulo youth squad to Copa de Juvenil glory. He made his senior side debut in January 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.
He scored 10 goals in 22 matches the following season, and by this time his performance was soon attracting attention from European clubs. Kaká made a total of 58 appearances for São Paulo, scoring 23 times.[10]
Milan
The steady European interest in Kaká culminated in his signing with Italian club AC Milan in 2003 for a fee of €8.5 million, described in retrospect as "peanuts" by club owner Silvio Berlusconi.[11] Within a month, he cracked the starting lineup, and his Serie A debut was in a 2–0 win over Ancona. He scored 10 goals in 30 appearances that season, as Milan won the Scudetto and the UEFA Super Cup.
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 scored seven goals in 36 domestic appearances as Milan finished runner-up in the Scudetto race. Despite Milan losing the 2004–05 Champions League final to Liverpool on penalties, he was nonetheless was voted the best midfielder of the tournament.
2005–06 saw Kaká score his first hat-tricks in domestic competition. On 9 April 2006, he scored his first Rossoneri hat-trick against Chievo; all three goals were scored in the second half. The following season, he scored his first Champions League hat-trick in a 4–1 group stage win over the Belgian side Anderlecht.
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 striker positions. He finished as the top scorer in the 2006–07 Champions League campaign with ten goals. One of them helped the Rossoneri eliminate Celtic in the quarter-finals on a 1–0 aggregate, and three others proved fatal for Manchester United in the semi-finals, despite Milan losing the first leg.
Kaká added the Champions League title to his trophy case for the first time when Milan defeated Liverpool on 23 May 2007. 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. For his stellar play throughout the competition, he was voted the Vodafone Fans' Player of the Season in a poll of over 100,000 UEFA.com visitors. 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.[12]
He played his 200th career match with Milan in a 1–1 home draw with Catania on 30 September, and on 5 October, he was named the 2006–07 FIFPro World Player of the Year. On 2 December 2007, Kaká became the eighth Milan player to win the Ballon d'Or, as he finished with a decisive 444 votes, long ahead of runner-up Cristiano Ronaldo.[13] He signed a contract extension through 2013 with Milan on February 29, 2008.[14]
Due to his contributions on and off the pitch, Time magazine named Kaká in the Time 100, a list of the world's 100 most influential people, on 2 May.[15] 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.[16] He won the honor again in 2009.[17]
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.[18] 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."[19] 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.[20] 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.[21]
Real Madrid
On 3 June 2009, Football Italia reported that newly-elected Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez had offered Milan a €68.5 million deal for Kaká,[22] two days after the player had left for international duty with Brazil.[23] Milan vice president Adriano Galliani did not deny the reports, and 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."[24] 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."[24] On 8 June, Milan and Real Madrid confirmed Kaká has moved to the Bernabéu on a six-year deal.[25]
Kaká made his unofficial debut in a friendly against Toronto FC, and scored his first goal for Madrid during a preseason match against Borussia Dortmund, which Madrid won 5-0.[26] He scored his first official goal for Real Madrid on week 5 against Villareal from a penalty kick.
International career
Kaká was called up for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, but the Brazilians crashed out to Ghana in the quarter-finals. Several months later, he made his debut for the senior Brazil squad in a friendly match against Bolivia on 31 January 2002. He was part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning squad, but played only 25 minutes,[27] all of which were in the first round match against Costa Rica.
In 2003, Kaká was the captain for the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, where Brazil, competing with their under-23 team, finished as runner-up to Mexico. He scored three goals during the tournament. He was included in Brazil's squad for 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany. He appeared in all five matches and scored one goal in a 4–1 win over Argentina in the final.
Kaká started in his first FIFA World Cup finals in 2006 and scored his first and only goal of the tournament in Brazil's 1–0 victory over Croatia in Brazil's opener, for which he was named Man of the Match.[28] He was unable to keep up the momentum for the remainder of the tournament, as Brazil was eliminated by France in the quarter-finals. In a friendly against rivals Argentina on 3 September 2006, after entering as a substitute, he received the ball off a deflection from an Argentina corner kick and outran Lionel Messi while taking the ball down three quarters of the field to score.[29]
On 12 May 2007, citing an exhaustive schedule of Serie A, Champions League, and national team play, Kaká bowed out of the 2007 Copa América, which Brazil won.[30] After missing out on the Copa América, he returned to play in Brazil's friendly match against Algeria on 22 August 2007.
Kaká participated in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, marking his first international tournament since the 2006 World Cup. His only two goals came in Brazil's group stage opener against Egypt on 14 June, when he scored a goal in the fifth minute and then added a 90th-minute penalty in Brazil's 4–3 victory.[31] He received the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament at the Confederations Cup and was also named the Man of the Match in the final after helping Brazil to a 3-2 win against the United States.[32][33][34]
In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, during the 20 June match against Côte d'Ivoire, Kaká received a red card after receiving two yellow cards. The second card was given for a controversial elbow in the direction of Abdul Kader Keïta. The Telegraph called the incident leading to the second yellow card "an innocuous off the-the-ball incident".[35]
Personal life
A devout evangelical Christian, Kaká became engrossed in religion at the age of 12: "I learnt that it is faith that decides whether something will happen or not." He removed his jersey to reveal an "I Belong to Jesus" t-shirt and openly engaged in prayer moments after the final whistle of Brazil's 2002 World Cup, and Milan's 2004 Scudetto and 2007 Champions League triumphs. He also had the same phrase, along with "God Is Faithful," stitched onto the tongues of his boots.[36] During the postmatch celebration following Brazil's 4–1 win over Argentina in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup final, he and several of his teammates wore t-shirts that read "Jesus Loves You" in various languages.
Though sharing a common goal, Kaká is not currently a formal member of the organization Atletas de Cristo ("Athletes of Christ").[37] In goal celebrations he usually points to the sky as a gesture of thanks to God. Kaká's favourite music is gospel,[38] and his favourite book is the Bible.[39] Since November 2004, he has served as an Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations' World Food Programme, the youngest to do so at the time of his appointment.[3]
Kaká is a follower of the evangelical Rebirth in Christ Church[40]. He married his childhood sweetheart Caroline Celico on 23 December 2005 at a Rebirth in Christ church in São Paulo.[41] Their first child, Luca Celico Leite, was born in São Paulo on 10 June 2008.[42]
Kaká was sworn in as an Italian citizen on 12 February 2007.[43] He features prominently in Adidas advertising and also has a modeling contract with Armani, the latter preventing him from appearing in a photo collection alongside his Milan teammates that was published by Dolce & Gabbana in early 2007.
Raí, the former Brazilian and São Paulo FC captain, has always been the idol of Kaká.[citation needed]
Kaká's best friend is fellow Brazilian Marcelo Saragosa who plays as a midfielder for the team Chivas USA. They both served as best man at each other's wedding.[44]
Nickname
His nickname is pronounced as it is spelled, with stress on the second syllable (
pronunciation (help·info)), and is a common term of endearment of "Ricardo" in Brazil. In Kaká's case, it was born from younger brother Digão calling him "Caca" due to his inability to pronounce "Ricardo" when they were young; it eventually evolved into Kaká.[36]
Honours
São Paulo
- Copa São Paulo de Juniores: 2000
- Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 2001
Milan
- Serie A: 2003–04
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2004
- UEFA Champions League: 2006–07
- UEFA Super Cup: 2007
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2007
International
Individual
- Revista Placar Bola de Ouro: 2002
- Campeonato Brasileiro Bola de Prata (best player by position): 2002
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI: 2003
- Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year: 2004, 2006, 2007
- Serie A Footballer of the Year: 2004, 2007
- UEFA Champions League Bronze Top scorer: 2005–06
- UEFA Champions League Best Midfielder: 2005
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2006, 2007,2009
- FIFPro World XI: 2006, 2007, 2008
- Pallone d'Argento: 2006–07
- UEFA Champions League Top Scorer: 2006–07
- UEFA Champions League Best Forward: 2006–07
- UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2006-07
- FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2007
- Ballon d'Or: 2007
- FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2007
- Toyota Award: 2007
- FIFA World Player of the Year: 2007
- Onze d'Or: 2007
- World Soccer Player of the Year: 2007
- IFFHS World‘s Best Playmaker: 2007
- IAAF Latin Sportsman of the Year: 2007
- Time 100: 2008, 2009
- Maracanã Hall Of Fame: 2008
- Samba d'Or: 2008
- FIFA Team of the Year: 2008
- FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 2009
- FIFA Confederations Cup Best XI: 2009
References
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- ^ "Kaká:in Profile". FIFA. 26 June 2009. http://www.fifa.com/confederationscup/players/player=184312/profile.html.
- ^ a b World Food Programme (30 November 2004). "Soccer star Kaká puts the floodlights on global hunger". Press release. http://www.wfp.org/news/news-release/soccer-star-kak%C3%A1-puts-floodlights-global-hunger. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
- ^ SOCCER-FANS-INFO
- ^ FIFA Classic Football
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- ^ Biography - fantasticoakaka.it (Italian)
- ^ v-brazil.com
- ^ a b Hughes, Rob (1 December 2004). "SOCCER: Kaka able to see beyond dollar signs". International Herald Tribune. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/01/sports/01iht-soccer_ed3_.html. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
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- ^ "Heaven sent, with the T-shirt to prove it". The Sydney Morning Herald. January 16, 2009. http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/football/kaka-heaven-sent-with-the-tshirt-to-prove-it/2009/01/15/1231608888625.html.
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- ^ Marcotti, Gabriele (16 January 2009). "Kaka and Manchester City: three days that shook the football world". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_city/article5527883.ece.
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- ^ "Kaka salutes fans pleading with him to stay". Agence France-Presse. 2009-01-19. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jV0MVJBywDb6-1DDf1iePoDFRQVA. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ "KAKA FOR SALE". Football Italia. 3 June 2009. http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/jun03a.htmlI.
- ^ "Kaka will leave". Football Italia. 1 June 2009. http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/jun01a.htmlI.
- ^ a b "Galliani: We have to sell Kaka". Football Italia. 3 June 2009. http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/jun04a.htmlI.
- ^ "Kaka joins madrid". Espnstar. http://www.espnstar.com/football/primera-liga/news/detail/item288496/Kaka-Factfile/.
- ^ "Borussia Dortmund 0 - 5 Real Madrid". Goal.com. http://goal.com/en/match/32564/borussia-vs-real-madrid/lineup-stats.
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- ^ Budweiser Man of the Match - FIFA.com, 6/13/06
- ^ "New-look Brazil sink Argentina". 2006-09-04. http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/news/newsid=105920.html. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
- ^ Tired Kaká to skip Copa America - World Soccer News, 5/12/07
- ^ "Brazil 4–3 Egypt". BBC Sport. 2009-06-15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/8097813.stm. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
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- ^ "US 2–3 Brazil". BBC Sport. 2009-06-28. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/8120561.stm. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
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- ^ "Kaka dismissal spoils successful night for Samba Stars". The Daily Telegraph. 20 June 2010. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2010/teams/brazil/7842390/Kaka-dismissal-spoils-successful-night-for-Samba-Stars.html. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
- ^ a b Mitten, Andy (4 June 2006). "The golden boy of a golden team". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/the-golden-boy-of-a-golden-team-481010.html. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
- ^ "Interview". Atletas de Cristo. http://www.atletasdecristo.org/eng/kaka.htm. Retrieved 2006-12-26.
- ^ "Public Chat Session". RickyKaka.com. http://www.rickykaka.com/en/index.php?function=show_all&no=120. Retrieved 2006-12-26.
- ^ Milan put their faith in Kaka - The Telegraph, 5/2/07
- ^ Rohter, Larry (2007-03-19). "Brazil’s Top TV Preachers Land in Hot Water in Miami". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/19/world/americas/19brazil.html. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ^ Downie, Andrew (2009-01-19). "Seven dead and dozens injured after 'Kaka's church' collapses during service". London: The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/brazil/4286613/Seven-dead-and-dozens-injured-after-Kakas-church-collapses-during-service.html. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ^ "RICKY AND CAROLINE, CONGRATULATIONS!". Associazione Calcio Milan. 2008-06-10. http://www.acmilan.com/NewsDetail_popup.aspx?idNews=67849&progr=5. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
- ^ Brazilian Kaká gets Italian citizenship - People's Daily Online, 2/13/07
- ^ http://worldcupway.blogspot.com/2007/05/ac-milan-or-liverpool.html
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