Kaka Wins Player of the Year Award from FIFA

Heavy rain soaked the field of AC Milan’s home stadium on May 3 this year. Kaka, who is often called the “White Pele,” swooshed a 20m long shot off his left foot into the net in the 2nd round of the UEFA semifinal match against Manchester United. His goal disappointed tens of thousands of Manchester United fans who were there to see it win its third championship title. Eventually, AC Milan took the UEFA championship thanks to Kaka’s 10 goals in 13 games.

Kaka could not have been better this year. FIFA named Kaka, one of the world’s top-notch midfielders, its Player of the Year yesterday. National team coaches and captains around the world voted, and Kaka won 1,047 points, followed by Lionel Messi (504 points) and Cristiano Ronaldo (426 points). So far, Kaka has won all the major awards in Europe this year.

Kaka reportedly often says that God has given His creatures more than they deserve, and that is no different for him. Born in Brazil, he started playing soccer at age 8. Unlike most Brazilian soccer stars, his parents were middle class. But he did not grow fast. His somewhat slow physical development didn’t attract him many friends in childhood. At age 18, his head hit the bottom of a swimming pool, putting him in a danger of paralysis. He fought the possibility for almost a year, a time that he cherishes most. During this time, Kaka says he took a good look at himself. Now he stands 186cm tall.

Kaka began his professional career in 2001 in San Paulo. But it didn’t take long for him to stand out. Only two years later, AC Milan bought him over to Italy. At first, the Italian club paid $8.5 million for him, which the owner described as pennies for a player of such a huge capacity.

Kaka’s wonderful dribbling and shooting made him stand out when AC Milan’s striker Andriy Shevchenko moved to another team in 2006.

His uniform number is “10,” a number that world-class star players such as Pele and Zidane wore as well. He earns six million euros a year now. Real Madrid once offered 12 million dollars for Kaka, but Kaka’s club, AC Milan, flatly rejected the deal. Kaka’s contract with the club expires in 2011.

bluesky@donga.com