KAKA

Kaká was born on April 22, 1982, in 

Brasilia, Brazil. He made his professional 

debut with São Paulo's senior team. He 

aided his team in taking home the Torneio 

Rio-Sao Paulo title in 2001. In 2002 his 

team also took home the World Cup title. 

In 2003, the midfielder left his home 

country for a new team and a new contract 

in Milan, Italy. In 2009, Milan handed 

Kaká over to the Real Madrid club.
Contents

    Synopsis
    Early Life
    Outstanding Rookie Year
    Accolades at Milan
    Personal Life 

Early Life

Professional soccer player. Born Ricardo 

Izecson dos Santos Leite on April 22, 

1982, in Brasilia, the capital city of 

Brazil. A top-level player soccer player 

throughout his youth, Kaká began his move 

toward the professional ranks at the age 

of 15, when he signed to the São Paulo 

youth club. His bright career was brought 

to a halt only three years later, when a 

swimming pool accident fractured a 

vertebrae in his neck. The incident could 

have paralyzed the athlete, but Kaká fully 

healed. Crediting God for his miraculous 

recovery, the budding star began leading 

an actively Christian life, engaging in 

daily prayer; tithing a portion of his 

income to the church; refusing to swear; 

and remaining chaste until his marriage to 

childhood sweetheart Caroline Celico in 

2005.
Outstanding Rookie Year

A year after the injury, Kaká made his 

professional debut with São Paulo's senior 

team in dramatic fashion. In the closing 

minutes of a tight game he scored two 

times, sealing a win for his club. The 

performance proved to be the start of a 

successful rookie year that would see him 

score 12 times in just 27 games. He also 

aided his team in taking home the Torneio 

Rio-Sao Paulo title in 2001 - the only 

time the team has won the championship to 

date. In 2002, while seeing limited 

action, his team also took home the World 

Cup title.
Accolades at Milan

In 2003, the midfielder left his home 

country for a new team and a new contract 

in Milan, Italy. For Milan, the transfer 

had cost $10 million, a sum that the 

club's owner labeled as "peanuts" compared 

to the talent he was getting. It didn't 

take long for Kaká to live up to his 

pricetag. Over the next several seasons, 

Kaká assembled a player résumé like no 

other. His accolades included The Serie A 

Foreign Footballer of the Year title in 

2004 and 2006, as well as recognition as 

the Champions League Best Midfielder in 

2005.

But his finest season to date came in 

2007, when Kaká became the league's top 

scorer, and led his team to Champions 

League and Club World Cup titles. In 

addition, he was named the European 

Footballer of the Year, World Soccer 

Player of the year, FIFA World Cup Best 

Player, and FIFA World Player of the Year.

For much of his time in Milan, rumors 

circulated that he may leave for another 

team. In January 2009, talks heated up 

between Milan and Manchester City about a 

proposed $145 million transfer that would 

see Kaká move north to England. 

Negotiations eventually came undone, but 

not the rumors about the player's 

departure. Five months later, the Milan 

team - a club that was deeply in debt - 

handed Kaká over to the Real Madrid club 

in Spain for a $78 million, six-year 

contract.

For Kaká, the change meant a new team and 

a new contract, but not a new life. In a 

sport that has its share of glitz and 

glamour, the playmaker has been unafraid 

to voice his Christian faith. "Cars and 

women, things like that, have never been 

important to me," said the player. "My 

family, and my belief in God and Jesus are 

the things which determine my life. I do 

want to live my life in the right way, and 

live my life close to God." The player has 

tried to back up his words with action.

In 2004, he became the U.N. World Food 

Program's youngest ambassador, a 

recognition that has seen the soccer star 

support programs that try to address world 

hunger. In 2008, for example, he helped 

the organization launch "Fill the Cup", an 

ambitious relief effort that works to get 

food to the estimated 59 million children 

in developing countries.

In 2008, Kaká celebrated a different 

milestone when his wife gave birth to a 

baby boy, Luca Celico Leite. The couple 

resides in Madrid, Spain