Kaká

Lore & Background

Kaká was born in Gama in the Federal District of the Central-West Region of Brazil to Simone dos Santos, an elementary school teacher, and Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite, a civil engineer. His family was financially secure. His younger brother Digão called him 'Caca' due to his inability to pronounce 'Ricardo'; it evolved into Kaká. At age 18, he suffered a career-threatening spinal fracture from a swimming pool accident but made a full recovery, attributing it to God.

In Their Own Story

The night of the 2007 Champions League final at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, the air was thick with anticipation. Kaká stood in the tunnel, the number 8 on his back, his eyes closed, lips moving in a quiet prayer. Around him, the roar of 70,000 voices pressed against the concrete walls like a living thing. He walked out onto the grass and the stadium exhaled. In the 39th minute, a pass from Gattuso split the Liverpool defence, and Kaká — that impossible, smiling boy from Campinas — cut inside, curled the ball into the top corner, and then did what he always did: he ran back to the centre circle with both arms spread wide, as if the entire world had just been handed to him. The goal was beautiful. But what stayed in the memory of everyone watching was not the finish. It was the look on his face afterward — not triumph, not arrogance, but a child's pure, unguarded delight, as if he had just been told he could go home and play again tomorrow. That image, more than any trophy, is what people remember when they say the name Kaká.

Reader's Guide

Kaká began his senior career at São Paulo in 2001. He joined AC Milan in 2003, winning Serie A in his first season. He led Milan to win the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League, being the tournament's top goalscorer, and won the 2007 Ballon d'Or. He joined Real Madrid in 2009 for €67 million, but his four seasons were plagued by injuries. He returned to Milan for one season in 2013, then joined Orlando City SC, with a loan to São Paulo before retiring in 2017. For Brazil, he debuted in 2002 and won the 2002 FIFA World Cup, also playing in 2006 and 2010. He won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2005 and 2009, earning the Golden Ball in 2009.

Did You Know?

• Kaká was the first sportsperson to amass 10 million followers on Twitter.
• He became the youngest ambassador of the UN World Food Programme in 2004.
• Time named him one of the world's 100 most influential people in 2008 and 2009.
• He was named in the AC Milan Hall of Fame in 2010.