10 Incredible Things About Kaká

A look back at 10 things you might not know about Ricardo Kaká, the 2007 Ballon d’Or winner aka the classiest Brazilian of the 2000s. The 3rd one almost stopped everything before it even got started !

The best anecdotes about Kaká

1️⃣ Ricardo Izecson, that’s Kaká’s real name. The problem? Rodrigo, his little brother, couldn’t pronounce it. So he called him Kaká. A nickname that makes us all smile.

2️⃣ Although he’s Brazilian, Kaká was a virgin until his wedding, and the Brazilian press didn’t hesitate to nickname him “the virgin player.” Yes, Kaká is a devout and principled man.

3️⃣ He almost became paralyzed for life. Two years before winning the World Cup, he dove into a pool during vacation… Bad idea. He fractured his cervical vertebrae, and the doctors told him he could be paralyzed. In the end, he fully recovers. For him, it’s thanks to God. Since then, he donates 10% of his salary to the church.

4️⃣ During the 2002 World Cup, Kaká drank holy water provided by his nun sister, drinking half a bottle before matches for good luck. You could say it worked pretty well since Brazil won its fifth star.

5️⃣ When Carlo Ancelotti sees Kaká arrive at Milan, he thinks: “He looks like a Jehovah’s Witness, not a Brazilian.” Too well-behaved, too clean. But from the first training sessions, the “good student” becomes a monster with the ball at his feet. It just goes to show that appearances don’t make the champion

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6️⃣ In 2007, Kaká was the last Brazilian to receive the Ballon d’Or

(the one and only number 22). After that? Messi. Ronaldo. Messi. Ronaldo… and it went on for 11 years!

7️⃣ He was the first athlete to reach 10 million followers on Twitter, back when other footballers were still posting blurry photos and tweets in all caps.

8️⃣ For Kaká, the day he left Real was the best of his entire career. When Florentino Pérez gave him the chance to leave, he finally felt free, after years of injuries and sitting on the bench.

9️⃣ In 2019, during a charity match with legends like Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos, a referee stops in the middle of the field, shows Kaká a yellow card… and seizes the chance to take a selfie with him. Yes, even referees want a photo with Kaká.

🔟 Kaká acts like a devoted family man; he admitted: “It doesn’t matter if my kids know I was the best player in the world; I just want them to see me as the best father.”

BONUS: His wife Caroline decided to divorce in 2015, explaining he was “too perfect.” He later remarried another Caroline (coincidence? I don’t think so), with whom he also had two children.

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