Sunday, June 15, 2014

Kaká

This article is about the Brazilian footballer born 1982. For the Brazilian footballer born 1981, see Kaká (footballer born 1981). For other uses, see Kaka.
This name uses Portuguese naming customs. The first or maternal family name is Santos and the second or paternal family name is Leite.
Kaká
Kaka portrait, February 2009.jpg
Kaká in 2009
Personal information
Full nameRicardo Izecson dos Santos Leite
Date of birth(1982-04-22) 22 April 1982 (age 32)[1]
Place of birthGama, DF, Brazil
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Playing positionAttacking midfielder
Club information
Current clubMilan
Number22
Youth career
1994–2000São Paulo
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2001–2003São Paulo59(23)
2003–2009Milan193(70)
2009–2013Real Madrid85(23)
2013–Milan30(7)
National team
2001Brazil U205(1)
2002–Brazil87(29)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 08:06, 19 May 2014 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁiˈkaɾdu iˈzɛksõw duˈsɐ̃tus ˈlejt͡ʃi]; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká (Portuguese: [kaˈka] ( )) or Ricardo Kaká,[3][4][5][6] is a Brazilian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Italian Serie A club Milan[7] and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club. At the time, he also played tennis,[8] and it was not until he moved on to São Paulo FC and signed his first professional contract with the club at the age of 15 that he chose to focus on football.
In 2003 he joined Milan for a fee of €8.5 million. While at Milan, Kaká won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2007. After his success with Milan, Kaká joined Real Madrid for a transfer fee of €65 million.[9] At the time, this was the second highest transfer fee (in euros) ever, behind only the €75 million fee for Zinedine Zidane. After four seasons in Spain, he returned to Milan in 2013. He has been a Brazilian international player since 2002, and was selected for their victorious World Cup squad that year, as well as two more editions of the tournament.
In addition to his contributions on the pitch, Kaká is known for his humanitarian work. In 2004, by the time of his appointment, he became the youngest ambassador of the UN World Food Programme.[10] Kaká was the first sportsperson to amass 10 million followers on Twitter.[11]

No comments:

Post a Comment