Kaká - Soccer
http://www.atletasdecristo.org/eng/kaka.htm
As an amateur Kaka played for the Sao Paulo since the age of 10. He went through every category: peewee, amateur, and junior, all the way to professional, where he has been for just over one year.
ADC: One year and three months and you're already nominated to play for the Brazilian National Team in a World Cup year. What analysis do you make of your career?
Kaka: I always dreamed with the Brazilian National team. But it was only a dream! Since last year's National Cup until now this dream has turned into a career goal. Things really happened very fast to me. But God prepares us. If it did happen it's because God had prepared me. God has great things for us. If it's God's will that I be there, there will I be. God's will is good, perfect, and acceptable. For now I can only wait.
ADC: What has changed in your head during this time?
Kaka: I believe I've become more mature, more experienced in a number of things. With the press, for example. In this type of situation one loses his privacy; it gets hard to go out of the house... But it's part of the career.
ADC: Considered the most handsome player by the fans. How do you see this?
Kaka: I am happy for that. But I want to be seen as a good player. I don't want to be labeled "cutie"!
ADC: Tell us about your conversion.
Kaka: I was born to an evangelical home. My parents were already saved and I grew up in the presence of the Lord. My conversion occurred after my baptism, when I began having a relationship of Father to son with God. When I was baptized in 1994, something supernatural happened to me. I can not explain it, but after that experience I got closer to God, more in-tuned with Him. At that moment I was really born spiritually. I began to know God more in depth, and I've learned that faith works within the limits of the circumstances. With God things are solved at the last moment, and it is faith that decides whether something will happen or not.
ADC: How about one dramatic situation?
Kaka: It happened in October of 2000. I was playing at the Juniors Championship. I had gone to visit my grandparents (my father's side) in Caldas Novas, and there I slipped on a swimming pool slide, on a water-toboggan. When I fell into the water I hit my head on the bottom on the pool and twisted my neck, which caused a fracture on a vertebrae. The doctors said that I was lucky to be able to even walk normally. They were talking about luck and my family was talking about God. Back at home we always thanked God because we knew that it was His hand that had saved and protected me.
ADC: How about the Athletes of Christ?
Kaka: One thing that is really missing in the world today is initiative. Everyone wants to help out, but no one has initiative. The Athletes of Christ is a group through which the Word of God can reach out to athletes in a way that others can not.
ADC: And what does it mean in practice to be an Athlete of Christ?
Kaka: For me be an Athlete of Christ is not hard. I am on the soccer field what I am outside also. One needs to have tranquility, calmness. I will not brawl, even because I am not a brawler. But I am not supposed to be punching people up on the field or swearing. I don't want people to be saying of me," Look, that guy says one thing and does another". My concern before my fellow players and my adversaries is to be what I am and never say one thing and be something else. I seek to be a role model in the club. I seek to demonstrate what God has done for me and that He can do it in their lives as well. As much as possible I try saying something about Jesus, about life with God, to counsel and help others.
ADC: Give a message to our cyber-guests.
Kaka: To those who already have Jesus: you have made the best choice and are in the best team. Go ahead. Do not give up. The fight is great, but we can only win being on Jesus' side. To those who have not yet surrendered their lives to Jesus: What are you doing being outside of this team?! Come to learn the Word of God, come to know who God really is. Stop eating cookies, while God offers us a banquet...
File Summary:
Name: Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite
Born on 04/22/1982.
Idol: Jesus.
Role models in soccer: Raí and Zico.
Bible verse: I can do all things through Christ which strengheneth me, Philippians 4:13'.
In spare time: stay at home with my family, go to church, go for walks in the mall, and eat out. I have a normal life.
Your most beautiful goal: it was against the Guarani, in the National Cup of 2001, a bicycle-kick.
Who is Kaka: I am a calm guy, very patient, sincere, truthful, who seeks to do God's will.
P.S.: this interview was made in April, therefore it was before he disputed the World Cup Soccer.
(translated by Sergio de Oliveira)
Kaká
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Personal information
Full name Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite
Date of birth April 22, 1982
Place of birth Brasília, Brazil
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position Attacking Midfielder, Second Striker
Club information
Current club A.C. Milan
Number 22
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1999-2003
2003- São Paulo FC
A.C. Milan 58 (10)
140 (46)
National team2
2002- Brazil 54 (19)
1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 12 November 2007 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of November 18, 2007.
* Appearances (Goals)
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (IPA: [xi'kaʁdu ˌizɛ'ksõ dusɐ̃tus lɛitʃi]; born April 22, 1982 in Brasília), better known as Kaká, is a Brazilian football midfielder who plays for A.C. Milan of the Italian Serie A. He was the recipient of the prestigious Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2007.Contents
1 Club career
2 National team
3 Personal life and religion
4 Nickname
5 Career statistics
6 Honors
7 References
8 External links
Club career
Kaká began his club career with São Paulo at the age of eight. He signed a contract at 15 and led the SPFC youth squad to Copa de Juvenil glory. Kaká 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. He scored 10 in 22 matches the following season, and by this time his performance was soon attracting attention from European clubs.
AC Milan, fresh from winning the 2003 Champions League, brought him aboard in 2003 for $8.5 million, a fee described in hindsight as "peanuts" by club owner Silvio Berlusconi.[1] Within a month, he cracked the starting lineup, and has remained there since. His Serie A debut was in a 2–0 Milan win at A.C. Ancona. He scored 10 goals in 30 appearances that season, as Milan won the Scudetto and the European 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 7 goals in 36 domestic appearances as Milan finished runner-up to Juventus. Despite Milan losing the 2004–05 Champions League final to Liverpool F.C. on penalties, he was nonetheless voted the best midfielder of the tournament, and also finished ninth, with 19 votes, in the running for the 2005 Ballon D'Or.
The 2005–06 season saw Kaká score his first hat-tricks in domestic and European competition. On April 9, 2006, he scored his first Rossoneri hat-trick against Chievo Verona. All three goals were scored in the second half. Seven months later, he scored his first Champions League hat-trick in a 4–1 group stage win over RSC Anderlecht. The football world was beginning to take notice of a superstar in the making. Following Rui Costa's departure to Benfica at the end of the season, and despite the insistence of many Milan fans, Kaká turned down the chance to switch from his number 22 to the now-vacant number 10, a number typically associated with world-class playmakers. (The number was eventually claimed by teammate Clarence Seedorf.)
Shevchenko's departure to Chelsea FC 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 CL campaign with ten goals, which proved a catalyst in steering Milan back to European success. One of them helped the Rossoneri beat Celtic FC 1–0 after extra time in the quarterfinals on a 1–0 aggregate, and three others proved fatal for Manchester United in the semifinals despite Milan losing the first leg. Following the convincing 3–0 second-leg defeat at the San Siro on May 2 that knocked out the English champions, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson declared that Kaka was one of the two best players in the world, alongside his charge Cristiano Ronaldo.[2] The previous month, a panel of experts set up by Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport proclaimed Kaká as the world's best footballer. Shevchenko also included his endorsement, while suggesting that Kaká deserved to win the Ballon D'Or.[3]
Kaká added the Champions League title to his trophy case for the first time when Milan defeated Liverpool F.C. 2–1 in Athens on May 23, 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. In June 2007, German football publication Kicker named him the world's best player, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho finishing second and third, respectively, while he was also given this honor by UK publication The Times. On August 30, 2007, Kaká was named by UEFA as both the top forward of the 2006–07 CL season and Club Footballer of the Year. [4]
He played his 200th career match with Milan in a 1–1 home draw with Calcio Catania on September 30, 2007, and on October 5, he was named the 2006–07 FIFPro World Player of the Year.
On December 2, 2007, Kaká was officially announced as the European Footballer of the Year, becoming the eighth Milan player in history to receive the honor. He finished with a decisive 444 votes, far ahead of runner-up Cristiano Ronaldo. Upon accepting the award in Paris, he said, "It was an exceptional year and the Ballon D'or crowns an extraordinary 2007...I want to thank God who allowed me to be here today. I thank my wife, my parents and Milan, the team that allowed me to win. I also thank my teammates, both at Milan and Brazil, and all of the fans."[5]
On December 17, 2007, he was named the FIFA World Player of the Year.
National team
Kaká made his debut for Brazil in January 2002 against Bolivia. He was part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning squad, but played only 19 minutes, all of which were in the first round match against Costa Rica. During the final against Germany, coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was reportedly about to send Kaká on as a substitute, but he never made it into the game as the referee did not notice him waving on the sidelines to enter the pitch.
In 2003, Kaká was the captain for the Gold Cup tournament, where Brazil finished as runner-up, as did Kaká with a second-best three goals. He was also named as one of the competition's top eleven players by position. On June 29, 2005, he scored in a 4–1 defeat of Argentina in the 2005 Confederations Cup final, with a powerful shot into the upper right-hand corner of the net. He finished in joint tenth place in the voting for the 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award, and finished two spots higher the following year.
Kaká started in his first FIFA World Cup Finals in 2006, scoring his first and only goal in a 1-0 victory over Croatia in Brazil's opening match. He was unable to keep up his momentum for the remainder of the tournament as Brazil were eliminated by France in the quarterfinals. On September 3, 2006, he scored again for Brazil, receiving the ball off a deflection from an Argentina corner kick and taking the ball down three quarters of the field to score.
On May 12, 2007, citing an exhaustive schedule of Serie A, Champions League and national team play, Kaká openly bowed out of the 2007 Copa América, which was won by Brazil. "I haven't had a break for three seasons. I won't have the form to achieve what is expected of me at an international level."[6] Brazil coach Dunga took the optimistic route, declaring that while he was disappointed about Kaká's decision, his absence would subsequently free up a roster spot for a lesser-used player.[7] Kaká, however, did play 70 minutes of Brazil's 1–1 friendly draw with England on June 1, but only 30 in a goalless draw with Turkey on June 5.[8]
Personal life and religion
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 Milan's 2007 Champions League triumph. Kaká previously sported the same shirt during Milan's 2004 Scudetto celebration and after Brazil's defeat of Germany in the 2002 World Cup final, and had the same phrase, along with "God Is Faithful," stitched onto the tongues of his boots.[9] 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, among them backup keeper Gomes and defender Lúcio, wore T-shirts with "Jesus Loves You" printed on them in various languages.
Kaká is a member of the organization Atletas de Cristo ("Athletes of Christ").[10] His goal celebration consists of him pointing to the sky as a gesture of thanks to God, and he is proud that he was a virgin when he married. His favorite music is gospel music,[11] and his favorite book is the Bible.[12] 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.
Kaká was sworn in as an Italian citizen on February 12, 2007.[13] He features prominently in Adidas advertising and also has a modeling contract with Armani, but the latter prevented him from appearing in a photo collection alongside his Milan teammates that was published by Dolce & Gabbana in early 2007.
Nickname
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 Kaká'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.[9] He is occasionally called "Ricky Kaka" by the European media.
Honors
Club and national team
Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 2001
Supercampeonato Paulista: 2002
European 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
FIFPro 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
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
Runner-up
Intercontinental Cup: 2003
UEFA Champions League: 2004-2005
CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2003Awards
Preceded by
Fabio Cannavaro FIFA World Player of the Year
2007 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Ballon d'Or
2007 Succeeded by
Incumbent
World Soccer Player of the Year
2007 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Ronaldinho FIFPro World Player of the Year
2007 Succeeded by
Incumbent
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year
2006-07 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Samuel Eto'o UEFA Club Football Award Best Forward
2006-07 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Zlatan Ibrahimović Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year
(Shared with David Suazo)
2006 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Pavel Nedvěd Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year
2004 Succeeded by
Zlatan Ibrahimović
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