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This article is about the Brazilian footballer. For other uses, see Kaka.
This is a Portuguese name; the first family name is Santos and the second is Leite.
Kaká

Personal information
Full name
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite
Date of birth
April 22, 1982 (1982-04-22) (age 27)
Place of birth
Brasília, Brazil
Height
1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position
Attacking midfielder / Second striker
Club information
Current club
Real Madrid
Number
8
Youth career
1990–2000
São Paulo
Senior career*
Years
Club
Apps†
(Gls)†
2001–2003
São Paulo
59
(23)
2003–2009
Milan
193
(70)
2009–
Real Madrid
0
(0)
National team‡
2002–
Brazil
70
(26)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:53, 15 June 2009 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14:53, 22 June 2009 (UTC)
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (Portuguese pronunciation: [xiˈkaɾdʊ iˈzɛksõ dʊsˈsɐ̃tʊs ˈleɪ̯tʃɪ]; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká, is a Brazilian football midfielder who currently plays for Real Madrid[1] and the Brazilian national team. He is widely considered as one of the best footballers of his generation[2], often drawing comparisons in style and ability to other great footballers as Michel Platini, Sócrates, Zico, and Pelé. His footballing style is unique as he has the technique of a Brazilian and the physical qualities of a European.[3] Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight when he began playing for a local club called "Alphaville". By then, he also played tennis 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. He was the recipient of both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2007. Besides his contributions on the pitch, Kaká is also famous for his humanitarian works and work against poverty. In 2004, by the time of his appointment, he became the youngest Ambassador of the UNICEF food program. Having coming back from an almost paralyzing accident in 2001 at the age of 18, Kaká attributes his recovery to God.
Contents[hide]
1 Early life
2 Club career
2.1 São Paulo
2.2 Milan
2.3 Real Madrid
3 International career
4 Personal life
5 Nickname
6 Career statistics
6.1 Club
6.2 International goals
7 Honours
7.1 International
7.2 Individual
8 References
9 External links
//

Early life
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite was born in Brasília to Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite (a civil engineer) and Simone Cristina Santos Leite.[citation needed] He had a financially-secure upbringing that allowed him to focus on both school and football at the same time.[4] His younger brother Rodrigo (known as Digão) is also a professional footballer.
When he was seven, his family moved to São Paulo.[5] His school had arranged him in a local youth club called "Alphaville," who qualified to the final in a local tournament.[6] There he was discovered by hometown club São Paulo FC, who offered an assignment.[7]
At the age of 18, Kaká suffered a career-threatening and possibly paralysis-inducing spinal fracture as a result of a swimming pool accident,[8] but remarkably made a full recovery. He attributes his recovery to God and has since tithed his income to his Church.[9]

Club career

São Paulo
Kaká began his career with grassroots club São Paulo FC at the age of eight. He signed a contract at 15 and led the São Paulo youth squad to Copa de Juvenil glory. Kaká made his senior side debut in January 2001 and scored 12 goals in 27 appearances, in addition to leading São Paulo to its first and only Torneio Rio-São Paulo championship where he scored two goals in two minutes in his first team debut as a substitute against Botafogo in the final, which São Paulo won 2–1. He scored 10 goals in 22 matches the following season and by this time his performance was soon attracting attention from European clubs. Kaká made a total of 58 appearances for São Paulo, scoring 23 times.[10]

Milan

Kaká and Brazilian President Lula.
The steady European interest in Kaká culminated in his signing with Italian club AC Milan in 2003 for a fee of €8.5 million, described in retrospect as "peanuts" by club owner Silvio Berlusconi.[11] Within a month, he cracked the starting lineup, and his Serie A debut was in a 2–0 win over Ancona. He scored 10 goals in 30 appearances that season, as Milan won the Scudetto and the UEFA Super Cup. Kaká also finished his first season with an average game-score of 7.69 per game, ahead of Golden ball winner Pavel Nedvěd, who had a 7.30 score. In comparison, other great playmakers of world football recorded considerably lower ratings during their debut seasons, such as Diego Maradona (6.93), Falcão (6.79), Zico (6.74), and Michel Platini (6.48).[3]
Kaká was a part of the five-man midfield in the 2004–05 season, usually playing in a withdrawn role behind striker Andriy Shevchenko. He scored seven goals in 36 domestic appearances as Milan finished runner-up in the Scudetto race. Despite Milan losing the 2004–05 Champions League final to Liverpool on penalties, he was nonetheless was voted the best midfielder of the tournament.
2005–06 saw Kaká score his first hat-tricks in domestic competition. On 9 April 2006, he scored his first Rossoneri hat-trick against Chievo; all three goals were scored in the second half. The following season, he scored his first Champions League hat-trick in a 4–1 group stage win over the Belgian side Anderlecht.
Andriy Shevchenko's departure to Chelsea for the 2006–07 season allowed Kaká to become the focal point of Milan's offense as he alternated between the midfield and striker positions. He finished as the top scorer in the 2006–07 Champions League campaign with ten goals. One of them helped the Rossoneri eliminate Celtic in the quarter-finals on a 1–0 aggregate, and three others proved fatal for Manchester United in the semi-finals, despite Milan losing the first leg.
Kaká added the Champions League title to his trophy case for the first time when Milan defeated Liverpool on 23 May 2007. Though he went scoreless, he won a free kick that led to the first of Filippo Inzaghi's two goals, and provided the assist for the second. For his stellar play throughout the competition, he was voted the Vodafone Fans' Player of the Season in a poll of over 100,000 UEFA.com visitors. On 30 August, Kaká was named by UEFA as both the top forward of the 2006–07 Champions League season and UEFA Club Footballer of the Year.[12]
He played his 200th career match with Milan in a 1–1 home draw with Catania on 30 September, and on 5 October, he was named the 2006–07 FIFPro World Player of the Year. On 2 December 2007, Kaká became the eighth Milan player to win the Ballon d'Or, as he finished with a decisive 444 votes, long ahead of runner-up Cristiano Ronaldo.[13] He signed a contract extension through 2013 with Milan on February 29, 2008.[14]
Due to his contributions on and off the pitch, Time magazine named Kaká in the Time 100, a list of the world's 100 most influential people, on 2 May.[15] On 14 October, he cast his footprints into the Estádio do Maracanã's sidewalk of fame, in a section dedicated to the memory of the country's top players.[16] He won the honor again in 2009.[17]
The BBC reported on 13 January 2009 that Manchester City made a bid for Kaká for over £100 million. Milan director Umberto Gandini replied that Milan would only discuss the matter if Kaká and Manchester City agreed to personal terms.[18] Kaká initially responded by telling reporters he wanted to "grow old" at Milan and dreamed of captaining the club one day, but later said, "If Milan want to sell me, I’ll sit down and talk. I can say that as long as the club don’t want to sell me, I'll definitely stay."[19] On 19 January, Silvio Berlusconi announced that Manchester City had officially ended their bid after a discussion between the clubs, and that Kaká would remain with Milan.[20] Milan supporters had protested outside the club headquarters earlier that evening, and later chanted outside Kaká's home, where he saluted them by flashing his jersey outside a window.[21]

Real Madrid

Kaka, Pepe and Ronaldo in Toronto, Ontario (2009)
On 3 June 2009, Football Italia reported that newly-elected Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez had offered Milan a ₤68.5 million deal for Kaká,[22] two days after the player had left for international duty with Brazil.[23] Milan vice president Adriano Galliani did not deny the reports, and confirmed that he and Kaká's father, Bosco Leite, had traveled to Mexico to meet with La Volpe. "We had lunch and spoke about Kaká. I don't deny it. Negotiations exist, but a deal has yet to be done."[24] On 4 June, Galliani told Gazzetta dello Sport that financial reasons were his motive for the talks with La Volpe. "We cannot allow [Milan] to lose €70 million [...] The reasons behind Kaká's departure would be economic."[24] On 8 June, Milan and Real Madrid confirmed Kaká has moved to the Bernabéu on a six-year deal.[25]
Kaká made his unofficial debut in a friendly against Toronto FC. He scored his first goal for Real Madrid in the pre-season from a penalty kick against Borussia Dortmund, and Real Madrid won the game 5-0.[26]

International career

Kaká with Brazil
Kaká was called up for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, but the Brazilians crashed out to Ghana in the quarter-finals. Several months later, he made his debut for the senior Brazil squad in a friendly match against Bolivia on 31 January 2002. He was part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning squad, but played only 25 minutes,[27] all of which were in the first round match against Costa Rica.
In 2003, Kaká was the captain for the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, where Brazil, competing as with their under-23 team, finished as runner-up to Mexico. He scored three goals during the tournament. He was included in Brazil's squad for 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany. He appeared in all five matches and scored one goal in a 4–1 win over Argentina in the final.
Kaká started in his first FIFA World Cup finals in 2006 and scored his first and only goal of the tournament in Brazil's 1–0 victory over Croatia in Brazil's opener, for which he was named Man of the Match.[28] He was unable to keep up the momentum for the remainder of the tournament, as Brazil was eliminated by France in the quarter-finals. In a friendly against rivals Argentina on 3 September 2006, after entering as a substitute, he received the ball off a deflection from an Argentina corner kick and outran Lionel Messi while taking the ball down three quarters of the field to score.[29]
On 12 May 2007, citing an exhaustive schedule of Serie A, Champions League, and national team play, Kaká bowed out of the 2007 Copa América, which Brazil won.[30] After missing out on the Copa América, he returned to play in Brazil's friendly match against Algeria on 22 August 2007.
Kaká participated in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, marking his first international tournament since the 2006 World Cup. His only two goals came in Brazil's group stage opener against Egypt on 14 June, when he scored a goal in the fifth minute and then added a 90th-minute penalty in Brazil's 4–3 victory.[31] He received the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament at the Confederations Cup and was also named the Man of the Match in the final after helping Brazil to a 3-2 win against the United States. [32][33][34]

Personal life

Kaká with his wife Caroline
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 Brazil's 2002 World Cup, and Milan's 2004 Scudetto and 2007 Champions League triumphs. He also had the same phrase, along with "God Is Faithful," stitched onto the tongues of his boots.[35] 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 wore t-shirts that read "Jesus Loves You" in various languages.
Kaká is a member of the organization Atletas de Cristo ("Athletes of Christ").[36] His goal celebration consists of him pointing to the sky as a gesture of thanks to God. Kaká's favourite music is gospel,[37] and his favourite book is the Bible.[38] 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 12 February 2007.[39] He features prominently in adidas advertising and also has a modeling contract with Armani, the latter preventing 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.[40] Their first child, Luca Celico Leite, was born in São Paulo on 10 June 2008.[41]
Raí, the former Brazilian and São Paulo FC captain, has always been the idol of Kaká.[3]
Kaká's best friend is Chivas USA midfielder and fellow Brazilian Marcelo Saragosa. They both served as best man at each other's wedding[42].[citation needed]

Nickname
His nickname is pronounced as it is spelled, with stress on the second syllable, and is a common term of endearment of "Ricardo" in Brazil. In Kaká's case, it was born from younger brother Rodrigo calling him "Cacá" due to his inability to pronounce "Ricardo" when they were young; it eventually evolved into Kaká.[35]

Career statistics

Club
Updated to games played 31 May 2009[43]
Club
Season
DomesticLeague
DomesticCups
ContinentalCompetitions1
OtherTournaments2
Total
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
São Paulo
2001
27
12
1
2
5
0
-
-
33
14
2002
22
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
22
9
2003
10
2
10
5
-
-
-
-
20
7
Total
59
23
11
7
5
0
-
-
75
30
Milan
2003–04
30
10
4
0
10
4
1
0
45
14
2004–05
36
7
1
0
13
2
1
0
51
9
2005–06
35
14
2
0
12
5
-
-
49
19
2006–07
31
8
2
0
15
10
-
-
48
18
2007–08
30
15
-
-
9
3
2
1
41
19
2008–09
31
16
1
0
4
0
-
-
36
16
Total
193
70
10
0
63
24
4
1
270
95
Real Madrid
2009–10
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Total
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Career Totals
252
93
21
7
68
24
4
1
345
125
1Continental competitions include the Copa Libertadores, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Cup2Other tournaments include the Supercoppa Italiana, Intercontinental Cup and FIFA Club World Cup

International goals
#
Date
Venue
Opponent
Score
Result
Competition
1.
March 7, 2002
Cuiabá, Brazil
Iceland
6–1
Win
Friendly
2.
July 19, 2003
Miami, USA
Colombia
2–0
Win
CONCACAF Gold Cup 2003
3.
July 19, 2003
Miami, USA
Colombia
2–0
Win
CONCACAF Gold Cup 2003
4.
July 23, 2003
Miami, USA
United States
2–1
Win
CONCACAF Gold Cup 2003
5.
September 7, 2003
Barranquilla, Colombia
Colombia
1–2
Win
FIFA World Cup Qualification 2006
6.
October 11, 2003
Curitiba, Brazil
Uruguay
3–3
Draw
FIFA World Cup Qualification 2006
7.
April 28, 2004
Budapest, Hungary
Hungary
1–4
Win
Friendly
8.
October 10, 2004
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Venezuela
2–5
Win
FIFA World Cup Qualification 2006
9.
October 10, 2004
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Venezuela
2–5
Win
FIFA World Cup Qualification 2006
10.
March 27, 2005
Goiânia, Brazil
Peru
1–0
Win
FIFA World Cup Qualification 2006
11.
June 29, 2005
Frankfurt, Germany
Argentina
4–1
Win
FIFA Confederations Cup 2005
12.
November 10, 2005
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
0–8
Win
Friendly
13.
June 4, 2006
Geneva, Switzerland
New Zealand
4–0
Win
Friendly
14.
June 13, 2006
Berlin, Germany
Croatia
1–0
Win
FIFA World Cup 2006
15.
September 3, 2006
London, England
Argentina
3–0
Win
Friendly
16.
October 10, 2006
Stockholm, Sweden
Ecuador
2–1
Win
Friendly
17.
November 15, 2006
Basel, Switzerland
Switzerland
1–2
Win
Friendly
18.
March 24, 2007
Göteborg, Sweden
Chile
4–0
Win
Friendly
19.
September 12, 2007
Foxborough, USA
Mexico
3–1
Win
Friendly
20.
October 17, 2007
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Ecuador
5–0
Win
FIFA World Cup Qualification 2010
21.
October 17, 2007
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Ecuador
5–0
Win
FIFA World Cup Qualification 2010
22.
November 18, 2007
Lima, Peru
Peru
1–1
Draw
FIFA World Cup Qualification 2010
23.
October 11, 2008
San Cristobal, Venezuela
Venezuela
4–0
Win
FIFA World Cup Qualification 2010
24.
June 6, 2009
Montevideo, Uruguay
Uruguay
4–0
Win
FIFA World Cup Qualification 2010
25.
June 15, 2009
Bloemfontein, South Africa
Egypt
4–3
Win
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
26.
June 15, 2009
Bloemfontein, South Africa
Egypt
4–3
Win
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup

Honours
São Paulo
Copa São Paulo de Juniores: 2000
Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 2001
Milan
Serie A: 2003–04
Italian Super Cup: 2003–04
UEFA Champions League: 2006–07
UEFA Super Cup: 2003-04, 2007–08
FIFA Club World Cup: 2007–08

International
FIFA World Cup: 2002
FIFA Confederations Cup: 2005, 2009

Individual
Revista Placar Bola de Ouro: 2002
Campeonato Brasileiro Bola de Prata (best player by position): 2002
CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI: 2003
Serie A Best new player: 2003
Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year: 2004, 2006, 2007
Serie A Footballer of the Year: 2004, 2007
UEFA Champions League Bronze Top scorer: 2005–06
UEFA Champions League Best Midfielder: 2005
UEFA Team of the Year: 2006, 2007
FIFPro World XI: 2006, 2007, 2008
Pallone d'Argento: 2006–07
UEFA Champions League Top Scorer: 2006–07
UEFA Champions League Best Forward: 2006–07
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2006-07
FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2007
Ballon d'Or: 2007
FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2007
Toyota Award: 2007
FIFA World Player of the Year: 2007
Onze d'Or: 2007
IFFHS World‘s Best Playmaker: 2007
IAAF Latin Sportsman of the Year: 2007
Time 100: 2008, 2009
Maracanã Hall Of Fame: 2008
Samba d'Or: 2008
FIFA Team of the Year: 2008
FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 2009
FIFA Confederations Cup Best XI: 2009

References
^ "Real Madrid Official announcement". Real Madrid. 8 June 2009. http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/1202773590614/noticia/ComunicadoOficial/OFFICIAL_ANNOUNCEMENT_2009-06-08.htm.
^ "Kaká:in Profile". FIFA. 26 June 2009. http://www.fifa.com/confederationscup/players/player=184312/profile.html.
^ a b c "FIFA Players". FIFA. 26 May 2004. http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/germany2006/news/newsid=18215.html.
^ SOCCER-FANS-INFO
^ FIFA Classic Football
^ Kaka Biography (Portuguese)
^ Biography - fantasticoakaka.it (Italian)
^ v-brazil.com
^ "Kaka able to see beyond dollar signs". United Nations. http://www.wfp.org/English/?ModuleID=137&Key=1144. Retrieved 2004-12-01.
^ "Kaká - Career History and Profile". About.com. January 19, 2009. http://worldsoccer.about.com/od/soccerprofiles/p/kaka.htm.
^ "Heaven sent, with the T-shirt to prove it". The Sydney Morning Herald. January 16, 2009. http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/football/kaka-heaven-sent-with-the-tshirt-to-prove-it/2009/01/15/1231608888625.html.
^ "Kaka named UEFA's European club player of the year". Reuters Africa. 2007-08-31. http://africa.reuters.com/sport/news/usnBAN126130.html.
^ "Ballon d'Or: Kaka crowned". Football Italia. http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/dec2g.html. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
^ Burton, Chris (2008-02-29), Kaka will not leave Milan, Sky Sports, http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11854_3216237,00.html, retrieved 2008-03-01
^ "Kaká - The 2008 Time 100". Time. http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1733748_1733756_1735884,00.html.
^ "Kaká - Maracanã Hall of Fame". ACMilan.com. http://www.acmilan.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=73994.
^ "Kaká - The 2009 Time 100". Time. 2009-07-24. http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1883644_1886141,00.html.
^ Panja, Tariq; Alessandro Poggi (16 January 2009). "AC Milan’s Gandini Says Kaka Will Talk With Manchester City". Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aHW0EfCtD08I.
^ Marcotti, Gabriele (16 January 2009). "Kaka and Manchester City: three days that shook the football world". The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_city/article5527883.ece.
^ "Kaka deal dead but Bellamy signs for £12M". CNN. January 19 2009. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/football/01/19/england.manchester/.
^ "Kaka salutes fans pleading with him to stay". Agence France-Presse. 2009-01-19. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jV0MVJBywDb6-1DDf1iePoDFRQVA. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
^ "KAKA FOR SALE". Football Italia. 3 June 2009. http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/jun03a.htmlI.
^ "Kaka will leave". Football Italia. 1 June 2009. http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/jun01a.htmlI.
^ a b "Galliani: We have to sell Kaka". Football Italia. 3 June 2009. http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/jun04a.htmlI.
^ "Kaka joins madrid". Espnstar. http://www.espnstar.com/football/primera-liga/news/detail/item288496/Kaka-Factfile/.
^ "Borussia Dortmund 0 - 5 Real Madrid". Goal.com. http://goal.com/en/match/32564/borussia-vs-real-madrid/lineup-stats.
^ KAKAFANS.NET // Kaka's World Cup Blog - IN ENGLISH!
^ Budweiser Man of the Match - FIFA.com, 6/13/06
^ "New-look Brazil sink Argentina". 2006-09-04. http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/news/newsid=105920.html. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
^ Tired Kaká to skip Copa America - World Soccer News, 5/12/07
^ "Brazil 4–3 Egypt". BBC Sport. 2009-06-15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/8097813.stm. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
^ "Top awards for Brazilian duo". FIFA.com. 2009-06-28. http://www.fifa.com/confederationscup/news/newsid=1077806.html#top+awards+brazilian. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
^ "US 2–3 Brazil". BBC Sport. 2009-06-28. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/8120561.stm. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
^ "Kaká Fact File". Espnstar. http://www.espnstar.com/football/primera-liga/news/detail/item288496/Kaka-Factfile/.
^ a b Mitten, Andy. "The golden boy of a golden team". The Independent. http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/internationals/article624605.ece. Retrieved 2006-09-28.
^ "Interview". Atletas de Cristo. http://www.atletasdecristo.org/eng/kaka.htm. Retrieved 2006-12-26.
^ "Public Chat Session". RickyKaka.com. http://www.rickykaka.com/en/index.php?function=show_all&no=120. Retrieved 2006-12-26.
^ Milan put their faith in Kaka - The Telegraph, 5/2/07
^ Brazilian Kaká gets Italian citizenship - People's Daily Online, 2/13/07
^ Downie, Andrew (2009-01-19). "Seven dead and dozens injured after 'Kaka's church' collapses during service". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/brazil/4286613/Seven-dead-and-dozens-injured-after-Kakas-church-collapses-during-service.html. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
^ "RICKY AND CAROLINE, CONGRATULATIONS!". Associazione Calcio Milan. 2008-06-10. http://www.acmilan.com/NewsDetail_popup.aspx?idNews=67849&progr=5. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
^ http://worldcupway.blogspot.com/2007/05/ac-milan-or-liverpool.html
^ Kaká's Profile