Kaka


KAKA

Personal information

Full name Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite

Date of birth April 22, 1982 (1982-04-22) (age 25)

Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)

Playing position Attacking Midfielder , Second Striker

Club information

Current club AC. Milan

Number 22

Senior clubs

1999-2003 Sao Paolo FC
2003-Now AC. Milan

National team

2002- Brazil

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (born April 22, 1982 in Brasília, Brazil), simply known as Kaká, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Brazil and the Serie A club A.C. Milan. He is one of the budding young stars in world football. He was the recipient of the prestigious Ballon d' Or and FIFA World Player of The Year awards in 2007.

His nickname is pronounced as it is spelled, with stress on the second syllable. It is a common term of endearment of "Ricardo" in Brazil. In Kaka's case, however, it was born from younger brother Rodrigo calling him "Caca" due to his inability to pronounce "Ricardo"; it eventually evolved into Kaká. He is occasionally called "Ricky Kaka" by the European media.

Honors

Club and national team

  • Torneio Rio Sao Paolo: 2001
  • Supercampionato Paolista: 2002
  • Eurepean Super Cup: 2003, 2007
  • Serie A: 2004
  • Italian Super Cup: 2004
  • UEFA Champions League: 2006-07
  • FIFA World Cup: 2002
  • FIFA Confederations Cup: 2005
  • FIFA Club World Cup: 2007

Individual honors

  • Revista Placar Bola de Ouro: 2002
  • Campeonato Brasileiro Bola de Placar (best player by position): 2002
  • CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI: 2003
  • UEFA Best Midfielder: 2005
  • Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year : 2004, 2006
  • Serie A Footballer of the Year: 2004
  • UEFA Team of the Year: 2006
  • FIFAPro World XI : 2006, 2007
  • UEFA Champions League Top Scorer : 2006-2007
  • UEFA Champions League Best Forward : 2006-2007
  • UEFA Club Footballer of the Year : 2007
  • FIFAPro 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
  • World Soccer Player of the Year: 2007

Runner-up

  • Intercontinental Cup: 2003
  • UEFA Champions League : 2004-2005
  • CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2003