Born in April of 1982, Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite is currently known to his many adoring fans as Kaka. The Brazilian native plays midfielder for the Los Ligas club, Real Madrid and also enjoys the privilege of playing the same position for the Brazilian National Team. Always a crowd favorite, Kaka gives credit for his unusual nickname to his little brother who, as a small child, had problem's pronouncing his name. Add this to the fact that, in his native land, the nickname is often a short form of Ricardo, and you can see why the handle stuck.
A natural athlete, Kaka began playing football at the tender age of only eight years old. He also, apparently, was a pretty decent tennis player at that age. It took him seven more years to finally decide to focus on football as his chosen sport and he never looked back. He started with Sao Paulo FC and then moved across the Atlantic to play with AC Milan, a trip that cost the Milan club around €8.5 million. AC Milan, it seems, made a good investment, since Kaka won both the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA Player of the Year while part of their organization in 2007.
Then, in 2009, Real Madrid acquired the midfielder from Milan for a six year-deal that had a reputed price tag in excess of รข,¤68 million. Since joining the Real Madrid squad, Kaka has been a steady if unremarkable player and there has been some grumbling about whether or not he is worth the hefty sum it cost the team to obtain his services. While it might be true that, statistically, Kaka has yet to make his mark, it is certainly not because he is lacking in either talent or ability. After all, Real Madrid has long held a reputation for attracting (and paying well for) the best players in the world.
A perennial player for Team Brazil, Kaka began his International career in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championships. He also played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup Squad, but only for a short period of time. He started his first World Cup in 2006 and scored his first (and only) goal in the team's 1 to nothing victory over Croatia. He was named Man of the Match for his play in that meeting even though the Brazilian team went on to lose to Team France.
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