Kaká, named Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, (born April 22, 1982, Brasília, Brazil), is a Brazilian soccer player (Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) of the Year). 2007.
Kaká was indebted to his younger brother Rodrigo, who at a young age could not pronounce Ricardo and could only handle "Caca." Kaká was seven when the family moved to São Paulo. A passionate football fan, he was taken over by São Paulo FC the following year. At the age of 15, he was offered a contract, but his progress was interrupted three years later by a serious spinal cord injury (which continued with a swimming accident), which threatened his career. However, he recovered and started playing for his first team in January 2001. That year he scored 12 goals in 27 games as an attacking midfielder. In 2002 he played for the first time on the Brazilian national team, playing against Bolivia, and later that year Brazil won the World Cup.
Kaká's growing exposure to the world stage sparked interest from leading European clubs, and in August 2003 AC Milan signed him for $ 8.5 million. He made his first appearance in Italy next month with a 2-0 win over Ancona. Kaká was equally skilled at initiating and ending attacks, and his strong environmental skills were developed with Milan. Kaká finished eight and seven, respectively, in voting for FIFA Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006 before winning almost every prestigious award in 2007, when he was named European Player of the Year and FIFA Player of the Year. In addition, Milan won the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League in 2007.
