Player Profile: Kaka - Part 3
During that year, Kaka was simply on fire and his most memorable European performance was when he scored a goal against Celtic and helped Milan win 1-0 on aggregate and qualify for the next round. Another outstanding performance
came during the semi final match of the UEFA Champions League. AC Milan lost the first leg against the English giants Manchester United and it was up to Kaka to save the Italian side. Kaka managed to score 3 goals during the next two legs and helped Milan
qualify for the final of the most important tournament in European football.
With Milan in the final match of the UEFA Champions League, Kaka helped them win it and added another title to his trophy case. This was the first time when Kaka won the UEFA Champions League and it was against the English side
Liverpool. Moreover, the win came off as revenge to the last Champions League final in which Liverpool won on penalties.
Even though Kaka was scoreless during the final match, he still helped the team by winning a free kick that actually led to a goal that was scored by Filippo Inzaghi. Inzaghi scored two that night as the Italians were ready to
win the title for themselves. Filippo Inzaghi also became the highest goal scorer in the history of Champions League. The second goal, however, could not really happen without Kaka, as he was the one who assisted Inzaghi and the Italian striker tapped the
ball into the net.
The Brazilian midfielder was simply outstanding throughout the tournament and for his “stellar” play, he was voted as Fans’ favourite Player of the Season. The polling was done by over 100,000 UEFA.com visitors and there was no
doubt that the dynamic midfielder was going to win it. That very year, he was also named as the UEFA top forward of the UEFA Champions League and also the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year.
Soon after that performance, Kaka became one of the best players in the world and added more zeroes to his worth as he won the FIFPro World Player of the Year award. Later during the same season, he became the eighth AC Milan player
to win the Ballon d’Or as the Brazilian midfielder won with a decisive 444 votes. That year the runner up was Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo and even though Ronaldo was in his full swing, it was Kaka who managed to win the award. Kaka after winning
so much glory, signed a 5 year extension contract with Milan that would keep him in the Italian club till the year 2013.
Kaka then became a part of the Time magazine “100.” This was not because he was a great player on the pitch, in fact he was a great “human” off it. He was named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world on 2nd of
May 2007. Kaka also casted his footprints into the “Estadio do Maracana’s sidewalk of fame.” This “sidewalk” is in the memory of the top players who have performed under the Brazilian nationality. Kaka won this honour again in 2009 as he went back to Brazil
to cast his footprints again.
In the year 2009, there were speculations that the dynamic midfielder was going to leave the Italian club as BBC reported that the English side Manchester City was ready to pay over 100 million pounds for the Brazilian. Milan’s
director Umberto Gandini did not really respond to this matter at first but later said that they were not going to sell Kaka off to Manchester City until the English side agreed with Kaka on personal terms.
Kaka at first responded to this by telling the press that he wanted to “grow old” with the Italian side and looks forward to captaining them but later he agreed to the fact that if the club wanted to sell him he would sit down
and talk to them and would leave them if they want that to happen.
Tags: