This was to become a familiar sight across Europe over the next ten years. He made a list of the things he wanted to achieve in football. The final item on that list was to win the Champions League.
Two more seasons in Brazil took his tally to 23 goals in 58 appearances. Still a youngster at 21, it would have been perfectly understandable if it had taken the South American starlet a year or so to settle in the foreign surroundings of Europe. Goals continued to come regularly for the number 22 and his performances kept Rivaldo on the bench, notching ten goals in thirty appearances as Milan won the Scudetto and the UEFA Super Cup.
No mean feat for a South American on their maiden campaign in Europe. Well educated, he took everything in his long elegant stride, aware but not fearful of the cultural differences he was being exposed to. Unlike many other expatriate Brazilians, he seemed to have a genuine desire to be in Italy and absorbed his surroundings. Just as he was with the ball at his feet, he was at ease in the Bel Paese. While his finesse on the ball was perhaps unsurprising for a Brazilian, his pace and power while running with the ball really caught the eye.
Combined with his height, it made him almost impossible to deal with. That pace really set him apart, usually literally as nobody could keep up with him. Seldom is this seen, with the great Lionel Messi another that has this gift. He runs with the ball all the way, those trademark big touches allowing him to drive all the way into the Argentina box before side footing home.
Starring especially in the Champions League that year, the Brazilian turned in an imperious display in the first half of the final. With Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez neglecting to field a holding midfielder against the woolly-haired wonder, he made the most of every inch in which he was afforded to roam.
Crespo was in for his second, stabbing the ball sumptuously over the crouching Jerzy Dudek to give Milan their third unanswered goal before the interval. Milan now playing football out of this world, nobody can live with this. Steven Gerrard hauled his beloved Liverpool to an almost freakish comeback, with the Reds prevailing on penalties. For their part in the Calciopoli scandal, however, they were deducted 30 points, dropping them to third in the league table.
The start of the season saw Shevchenko depart for West London as Roman Abramovich secured the Ukrainian as the latest jewel in his crown. He was given even more licence to roam between the lines of midfield and attack. He bagged a Champions League hat-trick against Anderlecht in November before that goal against Celtic to take Milan through to the quarter-finals. The Serie A Footballer of the Year award followed soon after.
This all confirmed something that defences around Europe had known for months. At the time, that was an astronomical figure. Kaka joined Sao Paulo as a youngster, and had signed for AC Milan by age 21—but before then, he had to overcome a severe spinal injury that might have ended his career. Ten goals in that initial season showcased what was to come, not just in finding the back of the net but for his overall productivity in the final third.
Kaka displaced Manuel Rui Costa from the team, forged a tremendous understanding with key strikers Andriy Shevchenko and Pippo Inzaghi, and became the creative hub of the Rossoneri.
The Brazilian spent six years at the San Siro, and although that opening campaign was the only one to yield a league title, there was plenty more success—team and individual—ahead to enjoy, as Kaka's particular style and incomparable genius made him a household name for both club and country.
To do so for Brazil, in the era he did, should alone be a testament to just how good Kaka was. The great Ronaldo bore the No. There was also Adriano, then still a muscular, unstoppable striker in good standing—yet Kaka had to be included, and Carlos Alberto Parreira found a way to include all four in a system.
Kaka's industry and selflessness was the only factor that made it possible, given the others' propensity to remain part of the attack. That team didn't win the FIFA World Cup, but Kaka remained in the side under various managers—either side of injuries and semi-permanent exiles—to rack up almost a century of caps: 92 in total, the same as Pele, more than Dunga, Rivaldo, Dida or even Neymar so far—though the latter will inevitably surpass him eventually.
Those national-team exploits, though—winning two Confederations Cups, a part of the World Cup-winning squad, being awarded the Golden Ball at the Confeds and the favour he found from coaches and fans alike—all stemmed from his unrelenting brilliance at AC Milan. Ronaldinho had frightening, fantastical, flamboyant ability. There's no doubt there came a spell where he was the best in the world, combining pure joy of his style with a devastating end product.
But Kaka, in his own way, was every bit as relentless, every bit as productive, every bit as majestic. His gait, particularly when in possession, was mesmeric. Reasonably unusual in stature for a playmaking midfielder at a little over six feet tall, Kaka could still turn and accelerate past a defender in the same way the smaller, low-centre-of-gravity No.
Kaka had real power and acceleration in possession, simultaneously appearing to glide and surge to leave defenders for dead in one-on-one situations; while he rarely showboated with insane stepovers or made opponents look foolish with clever footwork, he was difficult to dispossess. At the end of Kaka's solo dribbles, there came real genius in execution. This time it was different and I had to think about it, but then I decided to stay. My team-mates were incredible.
They all tried to tell me something and stay close to me in this period. Its January a new year new hope at City first full transfer window since the take over City are linked to Brazilian superstar Kaka pic. Weeks later, however, Cristiano Ronaldo smashed that record, and the celebrity status of the Portuguese quickly overshadowed that of the Brazilian. Things went the same way on the pitch: Ronaldo became a Madrid legend, while Kaka played a bit-part role over four seasons before eventually heading back to Milan for a brief reprise of his glory days.
Sadly, it was not the boyish genius in the red and black of Milan, nor even the slowed but majestic figure that remained a model professional at Madrid. It was a surprisingly stocky year-old, who would have looked every bit a grizzled alcoholic if not for that unchanging, permanently buoyant mop of freshly conditioned hair.
That Kaka wore No.
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