Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (born April 22, 1982), better known as Kaká, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Brazil and the Serie A club A.C. Milan. He is widely regarded by football pundits as one of the best midfielders in the world.BiographyKaká was born in Brasília, Brazil, and his younger brother, Rodrigo Ifrano Dos Santos Leite, known as Digão, has followed in his brother's footsteps and is currently on loan with Serie B team Rimini, after having spent some time in the AC Milan youth squad.The nickname Kaká, from his native Portuguese, is pronounced as it is spelled. The accent would signify that the stress is on the second syllable.
In Italian, the language of his current team, the phonetic equivalent is written as Kakà, which is used for Italian television graphics. However, the player's shirt name is spelled KAKA' (with an apostrophe, rather than an accented 'A') for both Milan and in the past, Brazil. As of World Cup 2006 the back of his shirt reads 'KAKÁ' for Brazil.
An internet discussion forum explains the nickname as a commonly used shortened form of "Ricardo" in Portuguese. Kaká is supposed to have got his nickname because his little brother Rodrigo could not pronounce the word "Ricardo" when they were young. Rodrigo called his older brother "Caca" which the latter later changed to "Kaká".Kaká suffered an accident when he made a faulty jump off a diving board, resulting in a vertebra fracture. This could have meant the end of his football career. It did not, however, and he has stated that he feels that Jesus was responsible for his recovery. When AC Milan won the Serie A title in 2004, Kaká subtly sported a shirt with the slogan "I belong to Jesus." He also points his fingers to the sky every time he scores. Kaká is a very devoted Christian and a long-time member of "Athletes For God" with another famous Brazilian player, Cafu. Kaká has stated in interviews that he loves gospel music, namely music by the Christian bands Switchfoot and Sonicflood.Personal lifeKaká married Caroline Celico on 23 December 2005 in São Paulo. The wedding was attended by fellow players from his national team, as well as other well known international players. Guests included Ronaldo, Adriano, Cafu, Dida, Júlio Baptista and Brazilian national coach Carlos Alberto Parreira. Kaká first met Celico in 2002, and they started dating soon after. The relationship survived Kaká's move from São Paulo to Italy in 2003, while she was still at school. It is likely that Celico will stay in Brazil in the short-run, but the couple plan to live together in Italy soon. Against the stereotypical trend of football stars, Kaká is proud he was a virgin when he married. Celico's mother, Rosangela Lyra, is the director of Dior in Brazil.
CareerInternational careerKaká made his international debut in January 2002 against Bolivia. He was a part of the national squad at the 2002 World Cup, but did not see much action even as Brazil won the World Championship, playing just 19 minutes of a first round match against Costa Rica. In 2003, he was the captain for the Gold Cup tournament in the US and Mexico, leading Brazil to second place. This feat included scoring key goals against Colombia. Later, he was in action at the 2004 Copa América and the 2005 Confederations Cup, which were both won by Brazil, with Kakà scoring in the Confederation Cup final win over Argentina. (During the postmatch celebration, he and several of his teammates sported T-shirts with "Jesus Loves You" written in different languages.) He finished in joint tenth place in the voting for the 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award. In the 2005 competition he finished two places higher. More recently, he has helped Brazil qualify for the 2006 World Cup. Kaká has matured as a player and is currently considered one of the best Brazilian footballers. He scored Brazil's first goal in the 2006 World Cup against Croatia on 13 June 2006.He wears the number 8 shirt for the national squad.
Club careerKaká made his debut at São Paulo FC in 2001 when he was only 19 years old. That season he scored 12 goals in 27 appearances, and a further 10 goals in 22 appearances the following season, soon attracting attention from European clubs, and it was Milan who won the race to sign him.He joined Milan in 2003 for $8.5m, a fee described as "peanuts" by club owner Silvio Berlusconi. Within a month, he had become part of the first team and has held his position 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 team in the 2004-05 season, usually playing in a withdrawn role behind team-mate and good friend, striker Andriy Shevchenko, in a five-man midfield. 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 ninth position on the 2005 Golden Ball standing, earning 19 votes.
One of Kaká's more famous goals was the one against Fenerbahçe SK, during AC Milan's first game in the 2005-06 Champions League, won 3-1 by the Rossoneri, and which had pundits drawing instant comparisons with Diego Maradona. Kakà started his run from 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 Serie A hat-trick, against Chievo Verona. All three goals were scored in the second half.He wears the number 22 shirt for the club. He also most recently extended his Milan contract until 2011.2006 World CupIn the first match for Brazil, in group F, Kaká scored a goal in the 44th minute against Croatia. A left footed strike from 25 meters out led Brazil to victory, 1-0. After the match, the media regarded him as the only member of the 'magic quartet' - comprising of Adriano, Kaká, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho - that worked.

Personal life and religion

A devout evangelical Christian, Kaká became engrossed in religion at the age of 12: "I learnt that it is faith that decides whether something will happen or not." He removed his jersey to reveal an "I Belong to Jesus" T-shirt and openly engaged in prayer moments after the final whistle of Milan's 2007 Champions League triumph. Kaká previously sported the same shirt during Milan's 2004 Scudetto celebration and after Brazil's defeat of Germany in the 2002 World Cup final, and had the same phrase, along with "God Is Faithful," stitched onto the tongues of his boots.[11] During the postmatch celebration following Brazil's 4–1 win over Argentina in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup final, he and several of his teammates, among them backup keeper Gomes and defender Lúcio, wore T-shirts with "Jesus Loves You" printed on them in various languages.
Kaká is a member of the organization Atletas de Cristo ("Athletes of Christ").[12] His goal celebration consists of him pointing to the sky as a gesture of thanks to God, and he is proud that he was a virgin when he married. His favorite music is gospel music,[13] and his favorite book is the Bible.[14] Since November 2004, he has served as an Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations' World Food Programme, the youngest to do so at the time of his appointment.
Kaká was sworn in as an Italian citizen on February 12, 2007.[15] He features prominently in Adidas advertising and also has a modeling contract with Armani, but the latter prevented him from appearing in a photo collection alongside his Milan teammates that was published by Dolce & Gabbana in early 2007. He married his childhood sweetheart Caroline Celico on 23 December 2005 at the evangelical Reborn in Christ Church in São Paulo, Brazil. Caroline is currently pregnant with their first child.