Kaká · Biography

In 2003, AC Milan paid São Paulo €8.5 million for Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, Kaká, an attacking midfielder born on 22 April 1982 in Gama, in Brazil's Federal District. The move began six seasons in Italy in which he won Serie A and the Champions League, and in 2007 the Ballon d'Or. He had already won the 2002 World Cup with Brazil. He went on to play for Real Madrid, went back to Milan, returned to São Paulo and finished his career at Orlando City in MLS.

Youth and debut at São Paulo

Kaká moved to the city of São Paulo with his family as a boy. He passed a trial at the Morumbi club and came through its youth teams between 1994 and 2000. His first-team debut came on 1 February 2001, a 1-1 draw with Botafogo at the Morumbi. Later that year he made his name in the final of the Torneio Rio-São Paulo, scoring twice in two minutes, in the 80th and 82nd minutes, to complete São Paulo's comeback against Botafogo and win the title. In 2002 he added the Supercampeonato Paulista and won Placar magazine's Bola de Ouro and Bola de Prata. His first spell at the club brought 125 appearances and 47 goals.

Milan and the Ballon d'Or (2003-2009)

He joined a Milan side that had just won the European Cup and was a regular from his first season. In 2003-04 he won Serie A and was named Serie A Footballer of the Year, an award he won again in 2007. The 2004 Supercoppa Italiana followed. His best season was 2006-07. He finished as the Champions League's top scorer with 10 goals, and Milan beat Liverpool 2-1 in the final in Athens. Next came the UEFA Super Cup and the 2007 Club World Cup, where he was named the tournament's best player. That year he also won the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award. He left in 2009 after 270 appearances and 95 goals.

Real Madrid (2009-2013)

On 8 June 2009, Real Madrid confirmed his signing on a six-year contract. He arrived in the same summer as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. Injuries kept him from playing regularly in Madrid. He still won the 2011 Copa del Rey and the Spanish league title in 2011-12. In four years he played 120 matches and scored 29 goals.

Back to Milan, São Paulo and Orlando City

Milan announced his return on 2 September 2013. On 6 January 2014 he scored his 100th goal for the club in a 3-0 win over Atalanta, and he ended that season with 9 goals in 37 games. On 1 July 2014 he signed a three-year deal with Orlando City, which loaned him to São Paulo for the rest of the year while it waited to join MLS. He made his MLS debut on 8 March 2015 and scored in a 1-1 draw with New York City FC. He captained the side and was picked for the MLS All-Star Game in 2015, 2016 and 2017. In 2015 he was named the game's MVP. He made 78 appearances for the Florida club and scored 25 goals. He announced his retirement on 17 December 2017.

Brazil national team

Kaká made his Brazil debut on 31 January 2002, in a friendly against Bolivia. A few months later he was part of the squad that won the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, where he played about 25 minutes against Costa Rica. He scored in the 4-1 win over Argentina in the 2005 Confederations Cup final. At the 2006 World Cup he scored the only goal of Brazil's opening win over Croatia, but Brazil went out to France in the quarter-finals. In 2009 he won the Confederations Cup again and was named player of the tournament and man of the match in the final. At the 2010 World Cup he made three assists, was sent off against Ivory Coast and saw Brazil lose to the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.

Honours

With São Paulo he won the 2001 Torneio Rio-São Paulo and the 2002 Supercampeonato Paulista. With Milan he won Serie A in 2003-04, the 2004 Supercoppa Italiana, the 2006-07 Champions League, and the 2007 UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup. With Real Madrid he won the 2010-11 Copa del Rey and the 2011-12 Spanish league. With Brazil he won the 2002 World Cup and the Confederations Cup in 2005 and 2009. His individual awards in 2007 included the Ballon d'Or, FIFA World Player of the Year and FIFPro World Player of the Year. In 2026, Milan inducted him into its Hall of Fame.