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Kaka Profile |
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Birth Date: March 22, 1982
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Birth Place: Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
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Birth Name: Ricardo Izecson Santos Leite
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Height: 6'1"
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Biography |
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (born April 22, 1982 in
Brasília), better known as Kaká, is a Brazilian footballer
who plays as a midfielder for Brazil and the Serie A club
A.C. Milan.
Kaká was born in Brasília, Brazil on the 22nd of April, 1982
to Simone Cristina dos Santos Leite and Forest Izecson
Pereira Leite. He has a younger brother, Rodrigo Ifrano dos
Santos Leite, known as Digăo, who has followed in Kaká's
footsteps by playing football in Italy.
His nickname Kaká, from his native Portuguese, is pronounced
as it is spelled, with the stress being on the second
syllable as the accent signifies. It is a commonly used
shortened form of "Ricardo" in Brazil, however, Kaká
received his nickname from his little brother, Rodrigo, who
could not pronounce the word "Ricardo" when they were young.
Rodrigo called his older brother "Caca" which was later
changed to "Kaká".
In September, 2000, at the age of 18, Kaká suffered a
career-threatening and possibly paralysis-inducing spine
fracture as a result of a pool accident. The worst did not
occur, however, and Kaká fully recovered from the incident.
He attributes his recovery to God and has since tithed his
income to his church.
Kaká made his debut at Săo Paulo FC in 2001 when he was 18
years old. In the first season, he scored 12 goals in 27
appearances, and 10 goals in 22 appearances in the following
season. The performance attracted attention from European
clubs, and it was Milan who won the race to sign him. He
joined AC Milan in 2003 for $8.5m, a fee described as
"peanuts" by club owner Silvio Berlusconi. Within a month,
he became a regular for the first team, the place he has
secured ever since. His first appearance came in a match at
Ancona, which Milan won 2-0. In all, he scored 10 goals in
30 appearances that season, winning the Italian Serie A
Championship and the European Super Cup.
Kaká was an integral 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2004-05 season, usually playing in a withdrawn role behind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 league
appearances, and also won the Italian Super Cup with the
club. Milan finished second to Juventus in the Serie A, and
lost the UEFA Champions League final to Liverpool on penalty
kicks. He was, however, voted the best midfielder in the
European tournament. He also ended up in the ninth place in
the 2005 Golden Ball standing, earning 19 votes.
One of Kaká's more famous goals was the one against
Fenerbahçe SK in the AC Milan's first game in the 2005-06
Champions League, won 3-1 by the Rossoneri. It had pundits
draw instant comparisons to Diego Maradona, as Kakŕ started
his run from the midfield and skipped past three tackles
before entering the area and finishing with a low shot under
Fenerbahçe goalkeeper Volkan Demirel.
On April 9, 2006, he scored his first Rossoneri hat-trick
against Chievo Verona. All three goals were scored in the
second half.
In 2006 Real Madrid showed an interest in signing the 24
year old star, but Milan refused to sell him and Kaká signed
a contract extension until 2011. He said he never wanted to
go to Real and was happy at Milan.
Kaká married Caroline Celico at the Reborn in Christ Church
on December 23, 2005, two years after Kaká's move from Săo
Paulo to Milan. Caroline was born on 26 July 1987 to
Rosangela Lyra, the director of Dior in Brazil, and Celso
Celico, an entrepreneur. She and Kaká met in 2001 while she
was a student and he was playing for the Săo Paulo Football
Club. The wedding was attended by about 600 people,
including fellow Brazilian footballers Cafu, Ronaldo,
Adriano, Dida, Júlio Baptista and (then) Brazilian national
coach Carlos Alberto Parreira. Caroline plans to earn a
business degree from a university in Milan.
Kaká is a devout evangelical Christian.
He is known to sport Christian gear from time to time: he
has worn an "I Belong to Jesus" t-shirt on several occasions
during matches, such as during the Brazilian team's
celebration after their 2002 World Cup victory, and during
Milan's Scudetto celebration in May 2004. He wears shoes
customised with the same words written on them. Every time
he scores he points his fingers to the sky as a sign of
thanks to God, and, in what is possibly a first for a
footballer at his level, he is proud that he was a virgin
when he married. |
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Other Information |
He's one of the most important soccer players in Brazil
nowadays.
He married Caroline Celico, a socialite girl from Săo Paulo. |
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