Brazilian football legend Ricardo Izecson, better known as Kaká, played as an attacking midfielder before retiring in 2017. When he joined the Brazilian football team “So Paulo FC” at the age of 18, Kaká, one of the best footballers in history, began his professional career. He was a member of the Brazilian team that won the “FIFA World Cup” in 2002, and in 2003, he paid €8.5 million to join the Italian club “AC Milan.” He played the majority of his career for “AC Milan.” One of his triumphs with this team was the victory in the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final. Additionally, he was a member of the AC Milan side that placed second in the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final. In 2009, he transferred from “AC Milan” to “Real Madrid,” paying the second-highest transfer fee of €67 million, just behind Zinedine Zidane. He assisted his team in winning the Copa del Rey in 2010–2011 and La Liga in 2011–2012. In 2013, he went back to “AC Milan,” however his affiliation with the team was short-lived. He played for Orlando City, a Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion team. He played for the “MLS” until he retired in 2017.
Early Childhood & Life
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, the son of elementary school teacher Simone dos Santos and civil engineer Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite, was born on April 22, 1982, in Gama, Federal District, Brazil. Rodrigo, also known as Digo, is his brother and a professional football player.
Because his younger brother had trouble pronouncing his real name as a child, “Ricardo,” Kaká was born. His brother used to call him “CaCa,” which eventually became “Kaká.”
When Kaká was 7 years old, his family relocated to So Paulo, and his passion for football blossomed as a result. Before joining his hometown team, “So Paulo FC,” he played for the “Alphaville” local youth club. Kaká experienced a spine injury at the start of his career that nearly left him paraplegic. Kaká, however, fully recovered.
He has consistently given his church a portion of his earnings as an expression of thanks to God. He is a committed Christian.
Earlier Years of Kaká
At the age of eight, he started his career with “So Paulo FC,” and at the age of fifteen, he signed a contract. In the 2001 season, he appeared in 27 games and scored 12 goals.
The only time the team won the title was in 2001 when he led “Sao Paulo FC” to victory in the “Torneio Rio-Sao Paulo.” Kaká scored 10 goals in 22 games the next season, which caught the interest of other European clubs.
Career of Kaká
Kaká signed a lucrative contract with “AC Milan” in 2003 thanks to his fast exposure to European teams. He cost the team a stunning €8.5 million to acquire.
He made his Italian “Serie A” debut for “AC Milan” in a 1-0 victory over “Ancona.” He helped ‘AC Milan’ score 10 goals in 30 games during the inaugural year, earning nominations for both the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year.
He assisted his team in winning the “Supercoppa Italiana” in the 2004–2005 season after defeating “Lazio.” In his 36 appearances for the season, he scored 7 goals, which helped his team beat Liverpool in the Champions League Final.
He continued to score hat-tricks in both the UEFA Champions League and the Italian Serie the following season. With a total of 19 goals in the “UEFA Champions League” during the 2006–2007 season, he ultimately finished as the top scorer.
In the same year, he was selected for the “UEFA Team of the Year,” as well as “UEFA Club Footballer of the Year.” He won the title of “IFFHS World’s Best Playmaker” in 2007.
He assisted on Milan’s third goal in their 4-2 victory over Boca Juniors to win the “FIFA Club World Cup” during the 2007–2008 campaign. He was named the tournament’s best player and awarded the “Golden Ball.”
He scored 16 goals in his final campaign with “Milan” and received a “FIFA World Player of the Year” nomination. Kaká’s transfer from “Milan” to another club was the subject of rumors.
Following much misunderstanding, it was revealed that Kaká would begin playing for “Real Madrid” in 2009. On August 29, 2009, he made his league debut for “Real Madrid” in a 3-2 victory against “Deportivo de la Corua.”
He finished the season with 9 goals and 8 assists overall, including 8 goals and 6 assists in “La Liga.”
Due to an injury, Kaká was sidelined from the game for eight months.
On January 9, 2011, he scored his first goal of the year in a 4-2 victory over “Villarreal.” He led his club to victory in the “Copa del Rey” at the end of the season with 7 goals in 20 appearances.
Kaká had an outstanding start to the season, tallying two goals, two assists, and a penalty. He also won the “Champions League Matchday” award for best player.
He had 8 goals and 14 assists by the time the season was up. He began the 2012–2013 campaign by defeating “Barça” to win the “2012 Supercopa de Espaa.”
After scoring in a 4-1 victory over “Ajax,” Kaká became the highest-scoring Brazilian footballer in “Champions League” history. On September 2, 2013, Kaká opted to leave “Real Madrid” and re-join “AC Milan” after accruing 29 goals and 32 assists in 120 games.
He opened the scoring against “Atlanta” to record his 100th goal for “Milan.” He became the first “Designated Player” for Orlando City, an MLS expansion team.
He began playing in the league in 2015 and kept up his excellent play up until he was given his first career red card during a 1-1 tie with “Real Salt Lake.” Up until he declared that he would not be renewing his contract for the 2018 season, he kept up his good play for “MLS.”
International Engagements
Kaká got the “Man of the Match” award in both Brazil’s 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup final against the US and Brazil’s 2006 FIFA World Cup opening match against Croatia, which Brazil won.
Recognition & Achievements
Throughout his career, he has won various club accolades and individual distinctions. The “Bola de Ouro” (2002), “Bola de Prata” (2002), “CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI” (2003), “Serie A Footballer of the Year” (2004, 2007), and “Pallone d’Argento” are a few of his notable awards (2006–2007).
He received the “Ballon d’Or” in 2007, the “FIFA World Player of the Year” in 2007, the “MARCA Legend Award” in 2009, and the “AC Milan Hall of Fame” between 2008 and 2015. (2010). He frequently took part in the “MLS All-Star” (2015, 2016, 2017). In both 2008 and 2009, he was included in the “Time 100” list of the most important people.
Individual Life of Kaká
On December 23, 2005, Kaká wed Caroline Lyra Celico, his childhood sweetheart. They soon gave birth to a son named Luca and a daughter named Isabella. 2015 saw the couple’s divorce.
Since 2016, Kaká has been seeing Brazilian model Carolina Dias.
At the time of his appointment, he was the World Food Program’s youngest UN Ambassador.