Saturday, December 22, 2007

Kaka: Brazil's Mr. Perfect

Brazil is a conveyor belt that produces brilliant talents. Following in the footsteps of Romario, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho is Ricardo Izecson Santos Leite.
Kaka, as he is better known, is the embodiment of elegance, a player who exudes pure class. His ability on the ball, his ability to dominate games, to see openings and to make the right decisions - these are all, quite simply, of the highest possible order.

Kaka's background is far from typical. He hails not from the poverty of the favelas, but from a middle-class family, with the comforts and educational background that this entails. While his father Bosco, an engineer by profession, has looked after his career and handled all of his contract negotiations, Kaka himself set out a plan for his professional development which he has pursued, irresistibly, with singular determination, leaving little room for chance.

Kaka is the son-in-law that every mother dreams of. While he never dreamt that he would one day become the best player in the world, he always set out to be number one.

Born in the capital Brasilia in 1982, Kaka grew up in Sao Paulo. Like all kids of his age, he played football and showed an aptitude for the game early on. However, back then his enthusiasm for the game was nothing beyond the ordinary. It was only when he turned 15 that he decided he wanted to make a career for himself in football, although even then he did not give up his studies.

However, three years later, his ambitions almost suffered a fatal blow when he fractured a vertebra in his spine following a swimming pool accident. "At that moment, I realised that I had been saved by the hand of God," he wrote in his diary. Since then, he has been unwavering in his religious faith, and after every latest feat on the football pitch, he never fails to acknowledge his debt to God by raising his arms to the skies.

Kaka's professional career has unfolded at a remarkable pace. In 2001, he found himself in the Sao Paulo youth team. By the age of 18 he was already being promoted to the senior team and on 31 January 2002, he made his national team debut for Brazil against Bolivia. By that stage, it was clear that nothing was going to stop him.

Three years on, former Sao Paulo and AC Milan star Leonardo, who had been following Kaka's development closely, convinced him and his family that he should move to Italy, which he did in the summer of 2003. By this stage, he had already won the FIFA World Cup™ with Brazil in 2002, and his 48 goals in 131 appearances for Sao Paulo provided a clear indication of the scale of his talent.

Once in Europe, he required no time at all to find his feet. But then Kaka always manages to make even the most difficult challenges appear simple. In the 2003/04 season, he was a revelation, as he helped AC Milan to their 17th Serie A title. Three years later, he had conquered Europe, helping the Rossoneri to the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League crown, and finishing as the tournament's ten-goal top scorer in the process.

"He is an extremely calm and composed boy who is never prone to either euphoria or depression," says his coach at AC Milan, Carlo Ancelotti. "He has great inner strength, and there is never any danger of him allowing his success go to his head. He is a great champion."

Positioned behind the main striker, in the role of what the Italians call the trequartista - part creator, part scorer - Kaka is often the player who conjures the final pass, but equally often he is on hand to apply the finish.

However, perhaps the most astonishing thing about the Brazilian is the simplicity of his actions, which are always executed with technical brilliance and total control. His recent goal for Brazil against Peru offers a perfect illustration: after first controlling the ball with his left foot, he delivered a finish with his right that ended up in the top corner of the net.

"I'm going through a good period. I enjoy being the link between midfield and attack, bringing the ball forward and taking on defenders. That is the area of the pitch where I prefer to operate," says a smiling Kaka, making it all sound so easy.

Barcelona's Edmilson praises Kaka's "humility and straightforwardness". He adds that Kaka "has the aura of a leader that should make him the player to captain the Brazil national team at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups."

Out wide ... Becks' favourite position

The day you told mi ur name i was over the moon.e day u were wiling to wear e present i gave u i was overjoyed way you said thanks when i wiped off e sweat off u. e time when we shared our troubles and opened ourselves to each other. we were happy asked if i was. i jus smiled and u understood wad i mean. u showed enuf trust when u invited mi into ur room, trusting tat i will behave myself. when u showed mi all ur photos, i was speechless. u were wiling to share wif mi ur most intimate moments since childhood. when u asked y i was smiling when im looking at ur pics i said duno. but deep down inside mi i was jus so happy. i duno why but i was very happy. after tat u asked if i was hungry.i replied in jest and asked if u would cook for mi and u agreed. even thou it was only a bowl of noodles, it was e best tat i ever tasted. one meal made wif so much affection. so priceless becos it was cooked by u.i fed a couple of mouths to u.by instinct i jus so badly wanted to share my everything to u. we spent a long time wishing up e dishes. even thou we were clumsy we were happy. sometimes love is not abt “I love u” but its abt how much u are willing to do for her. u hav done so much without any complaints, when i was down u cheered mi up. i haven thanked u but i will... in e most special way jus for u.

Tat night when we looked into each other's eyes, listened to each other's breathing so closely, i sensed something i never felt before. its was so magical so sweet so undescrible. We watched the sun set and you held my hands so tightly. I looked back at you, wishing time would stop for us-just the two of us alone. Something in you really intrigued me at the first go.For one moment I held myself back.Each day is a harbinger that fills me with new expectations. At times I feel its going to be a perpetual process and another moment it feels to be in an imbroglio.



Sobriety and innocence hails in you and tats what clings me more to you. Im full of exuberance, spend days and nights in fantasies. Days have turned more sunnier and nights more starry. I feel the constant rhythm of my heartbeat. I feel the joy. I can see everything blooming more vibrantly than ever. then I feel to promise you for ever that even if the world is in cinders at my feet my love for you wont cease. It'll still be an ever new joy filled with everlasting ecstasy. It wont fall from the mountains, wont sway with the winds, wont drown in the waters just grow with years and make many centuries.'



If your eyes could speak, wat would they say? If your smile could charm, will they strike me? It was e first time i felt so happy in my life. if time could turn back would we have done wat we hav done? no matter wad i have no regrets, even for a minute,a day i will treausre time spent with you more than anything else.Te amo. Me amas?



thanks for taking interest in my story.

Today i ran the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon half marathon(21.1km) in the morning. Was pretty excited in the morning. When i was running i didnt feel exhausted until the final 5-6km cos the adrenaline was flowing thru my whole body.By the road side got many volunteers cheering for us giving us encouragement to continue and nv give up. I was really touched as stangers cheering for each other,uniting us as Sporeans.I mean tat feeling is so incredible and no amount of wealth can buy tat feeling. Its so wonderful tat i completed it in ard 2 hrs. So tired.

Completed my last training before the marathon ytd night.6KM in 30 mins.Tmr is the big day. Slepping early tonight.