Alexandre Pato

Player Information

Full name: Alexandre (Pato) Rodrigues da Silva
Date of birth: September 02, 1989
Birthplace: Pato Branco, Paraná, Brazil
Nationality: Brazilian
EU passport: No
Height: 179 cms
Weight: 71 kgs

Club: Milan
Position: Striker [C]
Squad Number: 7
Previous clubs: Internacional > (€14.5m) Milan

International debut: March 2008, v Sweden
International Caps: 1
International Goals: 1
World Cups: none

Awards

FIFA Club World Cup (2006)

Recopa Sudamericana (2007)

Biography

1989
Born September 2 in Pato Branco, Parana.
2001
At the age of 11, he moved to Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul and started sharing housing with 83 other teenagers that, much like him, wanted to make a name for themselves in the SC Internacional first team.
2006
November 26: Scored on his first team debut after 94 seconds with his first touch of the ball, set up two more - including one with a disconcerting dribble - and headed against the post in a hectic 57 minutes before being substituted with Internacional 4-0 ahead of Palmeiras.
December 13: Brazilian wonderkid Alexandre Pato produced a dazzling display as Internacional beat Al Ahly 2-1 to reach the Club World Cup final. Pato scored once and had a goal disallowed before being taken off injured in the second half.
December 17: Played 61 minutes in the final as Internacional overcame Barcelona to win the FIFA World Club Cup Japan 2006.
2007
January: Part of the Brazil side that won the South American Under-20 Championship. He was Brazil's leading scorer in the tournament with five goals.
July: Represented Brazil in the FIFA U-20 World Cup at Canada. He was part of the team that reached the round of 16 but was defeated by Spain 4-2 after extra time.
August 2: The long drawn race to sign Alexandre Pato come to an end with AC Milan finally signing the young Brazilian starlet. The Rossoneri paid his buy-out clause of 14.5 million euros, and have handed him a five year contract worth 2 million euros per season. However, Pato cannot feature in official games for the Rossoneri until January. Revealed the club: "The great talent Alexandre Pato will train with Milan and will be able to play the friendly matches starting from the 3rd of September 2007. From the 3rd of January 2008 onwards, he will also be able to play in the official games."
September 6: Scored one goal on his AC Milan debut, a 2-2 friendly draw organised to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Dinamo Kiev.
2008
January 13: Alexandre Pato scored on his long-awaited Serie A debut as Milan beat Napoli 5-2 in a thrilling match at the San Siro.
March 26: Little over ten minutes after taking the field as a second-half substitute, thus making his Brazilian National Team debut, Pato scored a 72nd-minute goal that consigned Sweden to a 1-0 defeat by Brazil in their friendly at the Arsenal Stadium in London.
August 22: Member of the Brazilian team that won the Bronze Medal at the Beijing Olympic Games.

Robinho

Player Information

Full name: Robson (Robinho) de Souza
Date of birth: January 25, 1984
Birthplace: São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil
Nationality: Brazilian
EU passport: No
Height: 172 cms
Weight: 60 kgs

Club: Manchester City
Position: Forward [C]
Squad Number: 10
Contract expires: June 2012
Previous clubs: Santos > (€25m) Real Madrid > (£32.5m) Manchester City

International debut: July 2003, v Mexico
International Caps: 55
International Goals: 13
World Cups: Germany 2006

Awards

FIFA Confederations Cup (2005)
Copa America (2007)

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (2002, 2004)
Spanish La Liga (2007, 2008)

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Player of the Year (2004)Copa America Best Player (2007)
Copa America Top Scorer (2007)

Biography

1984
Born January 25 in Sao Vicente near Santos.
1996
Discovered by Santos and wins a place in the club's junior divisions.
1999
Pele sees Robinho taking part in a youth team training session and is reported as saying: "This lad takes me back to the start of my career."
2000
Makes his professional debut for Santos at the age of 16 in a 3-1 win over arch-rivals Corinthians.
2002
December: Santos beat Corinthians over the two-legged final to win the Brazilian championship. The most replayed moment of the tie is when Robinho performs seven successive step-overs as he provokes an opponent into giving away a penalty.
2003
June: Santos reach the South American Copa Libertadores final for the first time in 40 years and lose to Argentina's Boca Juniors in the two-leg final.
July: Part of Brazil squad that loses Concacaf Gold Cup, makes full team debut against Mexico.
2004
January: Plays in the Brazil under-23 team which fails to qualify for the Athens Olympics.
November: Robinho's mother Marina de Souza is kidnapped from a barbecue at a friend's house in Santos by two armed men. Robinho is sidelined by coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo.
December: Robinho's mother is released. Two days later, Robinho returns and Santos beat Vasco da Gama 2-1 in their last game to clinch their second Brazilian championship in three years. Finishes as joint top scorer for Santos with 21 goals.
December: Collected 37 votes to finish third in the El Pais' South American Player of the Year award.
2005
June: Part of Brazil squad for Confederations Cup. Turns in a virtuoso performance in Brazil's 3-0 win over Greece scoring one, winning a penalty for a second, and ends up being voted Man of the Match. Brazil beat Argentina 4-1 to win Confederations Cup. After the game, Robinho says he wants to join Real Madrid.
July: Real reach a deal with Santos to buy the Brazilian club's 60 percent share in the player for $30 million. Under the terms of the agreement Robinho continues to play for Santos in the Brazilian championship until August.
August: Scores twice in his final home game for Santos against Figueirense. Signs five-year deal with Real Madrid, he later made a scintillating debut as a substitute in Madrid's season-opening 2-1 victory over Cadiz.
2006
August 02: Real Madrid's Gravesen and Robinho exchanged a few punches during a training match, and were rewarded for their "fighting spirit" by Capello, with expulsion from training.
August 29: Italian giants AC Milan have had a 25 million euro bid for Brazilian forward Robinho rejected by Real Madrid, according to a sports daily AS.
2007
June 17: Helped Real Madrid to end their four-year trophy drought when they won the league title for the 30th time after a dramatic 3-1 comeback victory over Real Mallorca at the Bernabeu.
July 1: Scored a hat-trick as defending champions Brazil bounced back from an opening defeat by Mexico to beat Chile 3-0 in the Copa America.
July 15: Member of the Brazil squad that stunned bitter rivals and overwhelming favourites Argentina 3-0 to win their eighth Copa America title. Robinho was also Top Scorer and Most Valuable Player of the competition.
2008
May 4: Helped Real Madrid to win its 31st Primera Division title.
September 1: Manchester City beat Chelsea to the signing of Robinho from Real Madrid for a British record transfer fee of about £32.5m. Sports daily Marca said on its Web site that Robinho had signed a five-year contract worth $8.8 million per season.
October 26: Scored his first Man. City hat-trick in the Premier League 3-0 victory over Stoke at the City of Manchester Stadium.

FIFA World Cup™ Germany 2006 player's profile

Robinho's dribbling skills have earned him comparison with the great Garrincha.
The youngster, who made his full international debut in Brazil’s 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup final defeat by Mexico, was warned early in his career that he risked getting his leg broken if he humiliated older defenders - but he took no heed and quickly made the pedalada, or step-over, his trademark.

Known as O Principe (the Prince to Pele's King), he won two Brazilian championships with Santos in 2002 and 2004 prior to joining Real Madrid, and added the FIFA Confederations Cup to his list of honours in 2005.

© 2001-2006 FIFA, All Rights Reserved

UEFA Champions League 2005-06 player's profile

The svelte Robson de Souza 'Robinho' is considered one of the brightest attacking talents to have emerged from Brazil in recent years.

National team
Robinho's debut for Brazil came on 13 July 2003 against Mexico in an Under-23 side fielded in the CONCACAF Gold Cup to gain experience ahead of the 2004 Olympics. Brazil lost that final 1-0 to Mexico, but Robinho made his way into the senior squad and scored twice in Germany as his nation won the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Club
A Santos FC product, Robinho broke into the senior team as a teenager and struck seven goals in 2002 as he and fellow youngster Diego inspired the club to the Brazilian title. Displaying his patented 'pedalada' dummy, Robinho was soon compared to Garrincha. A €36m price tag put off European suitors, and in his Copa Libertadores debut in the next year in Colombia against América de Cali he produced a piece of skill so outrageous that the home fans gave him a standing ovation. Santos eventually lost to CA Boca Juniors in the final, but the next year Robinho struck 21 goals as his side reclaimed the Brazilian championship.

2004/05: Despite Santos's success, it was a difficult time for Robinho as his mother was kidnapped, leading him to step aside from football for nearly two months until she was released. His friend Diego departed for Europe along with Nilmar and Vágner Love, and although Robinho started the season in May, he was dropped after the Confederations Cup when he said he wanted to go to Real Madrid CF even though their €24m bid was rejected. However, when the player agreed to waive his 40 per cent share of any transfer, he was allowed to go to Spain and signed a five-year contract.

Did you know?
A former player with a relative amount of clout at Santos, then youth coach Pelé said watching a 15-year-old Robinho reminded him of himself and "almost made him cry". He then insisted Robinho move into the players' lodgings to ensure he got three square meals a day.

©uefa.com 1998-2006. All rights reserved.

Maicon

Player Information

Full name: Maicon Douglas Sisenando
Date of birth: July 26, 1981
Birthplace: Criciuma, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Nationality: Brazilian
EU passport: No
Height: 184 cms
Weight: 77 kgs

Club: Inter Milan
Position: Defender [R]
Squad Number: 13
Previous clubs: Criciúma > Cruzeiro > Monaco > Inter Milan

International debut: July 2003, v Mexico
International Caps: 19
International Goals: 1
World Cups: none

Awards

Copa América (2004, 2007)
FIFA Confederations Cup (2005)

Brazilian Cup (2003)
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (2003)
Italian Super Cup (2006)
Italian Serie A (2007, 2008)

Biography

1981
Born July 26 in Criciuma, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
2001
July: Member of the Brazilian team that reached the FIFA World Youth Championship quarterfinals in Argentina.
2004
August: Makes French Ligue 1 Debut in the Monaco 1-0 win at Saint Etienne.
2006
July: Agrees a five-year contract with Internazionale.
August 26: Member of the Inter Milan team that won the Italian Super Cup after a three-goal deficit for a 4-3 victory over Roma in Milan.
2007
April 22: Member of the Inter Milan squad that won the Serie A championship with five games to spare, matching the record set by Torino (1947/48) and equalled by Fiorentina (1955/56).
May 17: Lost the Coppa Italia final with Internazionale to Roma following a 4-7 aggregate score.
July 15: Member of the Brazil squad that stunned bitter rivals and overwhelming favourites Argentina 3-0 to win their eighth Copa America title.

Daniel Alves

Player Information

Full name: Daniel Alves Da Silva
Date of birth: May 06, 1983
Birthplace: Juazeiro, Bahia, Brazil
Nationality: Brazilian
2nd nationality: Spanish
EU passport: Yes
Height: 173 cms
Weight: 68 kgs

Club: FC Barcelona
Position: Defender [R]
Squad Number: 20
Contract expires: June 2012
Previous clubs: Bahia > (€1m) Sevilla > (€29m) FC Barcelona

International debut: October 2006, v Ecuador
International Caps: 1
International Goals: 0
World Cups: none

Awards

FIFA U-20 World Cup (2003)
Copa America (2007)

UEFA Cup (2006, 2007)
UEFA Super Cup (2006)

Spanish Copa del Rey (2007)
Spanish Super Cup (2007)

UEFA Cup Most Valuable Player (2006)

Biography

1983
Born May 6 in Juazeiro, Bahia, Brazil.
2006
May: Helps Sevilla to win their first European Trophy against Middlesbrough FC at the PSV Stadion in the UEFA Cup final.
August 25: Member of the Sevilla team that stunned Barcelona with a 3-0 victory after a superb performance to win the European Super Cup in Monaco. Daniel Alves was named Super Cup Man of the Match and Most Valuable Player of the 2005-06 UEFA Cup.
September 21: Daniel Alves received his first Brazil call up for next month's friendly internationals against Al-Kuwait and Ecuador.
2007
May 16: Won the UEFA Cup with Sevilla FC on penalties 3-1 over Espanyol following a 2-2 draw at the Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland. The victory made Sevilla the second club to win consecutive UEFA Cup titles after Real Madrid took the 1985 and 1986 championships.
June 23: Member of the Sevilla lineup that defeated Getafe 1-0 to win its 4th Copa del Rey title at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain.
July 15: Member of the Brazil squad that stunned bitter rivals and overwhelming favourites Argentina 3-0 to win their eighth Copa America title.
August 14: Spanish media reported that Chelsea's chief executive Peter Kenyon met representatives from Sevilla in Madrid and that the two clubs had agreed a basic fee of €32 million plus an extra 4 million euros depending on results for Dani Alves.
August 16: Sevilla rejected Chelsea's bid for Daniel Alves. "Sevilla would like to make clear... that they have rejected Chelsea's offer because it is a very long way from the value put on the player by the club," Sevilla said in a statement on their Web site. It is believed that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich put the brakes on the deal because he baulked at paying such a large fee for the defender and that he had reduced the offer to 25 million euros.
August 31: Member of the Sevilla FC squad that lost the UEFA Super Cup against AC Milan 3-1 in Monaco on a night which served as a fitting tribute to the memory of Antonio Puerta.
2008
May 19: Daniel Alves said he wanted to leave Sevilla as soon as possible. "I really want to leave now and I hope that everything will be finalised as soon as possible."

Ronaldinho

Player Information

Full name: Ronaldo Assis de Moreira (Ronaldinho)
Date of birth: March 21, 1980
Birthplace: Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Nationality: Brazilian
2nd nationality: Spanish
EU passport: Yes
Height: 180 cms
Weight: 76 kgs

Club: Milan
Position: Attacking Midfielder/Forward [L, C]
Squad Number: 80
Contract expires: June 2011
Previous clubs: Grêmio > Paris St-Germain > (€30m) Barcelona > Milan

International debut: June 1999, v Latvia
International Caps: 62
International Goals: 27
World Cups: Korea/Japan 2002 (1st), Germany 2006

Awards

FIFA U-17 World Cup (1997)
Copa América (1999)
FIFA World Cup (2002)
FIFA Confederations Cup (2005)

UEFA Champions League (2006)

Spanish La Liga (2005, 2006)
Spanish Super Cup (2005, 2006)

FIFA Confederations Cup Top Scorer (1999)
Spanish La Liga Player of the Season (2004, 2006)
World Soccer Player of the World (2004, 2005)
FIFA World Player of the Year (2004, 2005)
UEFA Champions League Best Forward (2005)
FIFPro World Player of the Year (2005, 2006)
European Footballer of the Year (2005)
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (2006)

Biography

1980
Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on March 21. Full name Ronaldo Assis de Moreira. His brother Roberto is a former Brazilian international.
1997
Top scorer when Brazil win under-17 world championship in Egypt.
1998
Makes his debut at professional level with his local team Gremio, playing five games.
1999
April: Member of the Brazilian team that reached the FIFA World Youth Championship quarterfinals in Nigeria.
June-July: Plays first game for Brazil senior squad against Latvia. Wins Copa America with Brazil, scoring his first international goal against Venezuela.
August: Top scorer in the Confederations Cup with six goals, Brazil loses final against Mexico.
2001
Signs for Paris St Germain on a five-year contract. Moves to Paris in March but starts playing only at the beginning of the 2001-2002 season after a legal battle between PSG and Gremio over the transfer fee. Gremio receive only $4.5 million.
2002
June: Wins World Cup with Brazil, scores with a spectacular 35-metre lob against England in the quarter-finals.
August: Resumes playing with PSG late after recovering from the World Cup. His relationship with coach Luis Fernandez deteriorates.
2003
Makes it clear he hopes to leave PSG after they fail to qualify for European competition. His brother and now agent Roberto Assis starts negotiations with Manchester United but Barcelona make an offer for the Brazilian.
July: Ronaldinho signs a five-year contract with Barcelona for a reported fee of 25 million euros ($29.4 million).
September: Scores his first league goal for Barcelona in the 1-1 draw against Sevilla, completing a meandering run from inside his own half with a stunning 25-metre shot.
October: Scores a hat-trick as Barcelona crush Slovak side Puchov 8-0 in the UEFA Cup.
Ends his first season with Barca with 14 league goals, inspiring the team to a 17-game unbeaten run that lifts them to a second-place finish.
2004
November: Inspires Barcelona to a 3-0 win over arch-rivals Real Madrid at the Nou Camp.
December: Named FIFA World Player of the Year ahead of Thierry Henry and Andriy Shevchenko. Comes third behind Shevchenko and team mate Deco in the vote for European Footballer of the Year.
2005
May: Wins title with Barcelona, the Catalan club's first trophy in six years.
June: Captains Brazil's Confederations Cup-winning side. Scores in the 4-1 victory over Argentina in the final.
August: Agrees to renew his contract with Barcelona until 2010.
September: Wins the inaugural FIFPro World Player of the Year award after a poll of players in 40 countries.
November 19: Steers Barcelona to a 3-0 win over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, scoring two virtuoso solo goals - the second of which earned a standing ovation from fans of the Madrid club.
November: Becomes the third Brazilian to win the Ballon d'Or (European footballer of the year) after his compatriots Ronaldo, who won it in 1997 and 2002, and Rivaldo, who won it in 1999.
December: Named Fifa's World Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
2006
May: Helps FC Barcelona to win its second straight Spanish league title and 18th overall.. Helps the team to win the UEFA Champions League.
August 20: Helped FC Barcelona to won their first trophy of the new season as they defeated Espanyol 3-0 in the second leg of the Super Cup in Camp Nou.
August 24: Declared UEFA Club Footballer of the Year in Monaco.
October 12: Included among the 30 nominees for the FIFA World Player of the Year Award.
October 17: Included among the 50 nominees for the European Footballer of the Year Award.
November 6: Ronaldinho wins the FIFPro Player of the Year award for the second successive season.
November 27: Ronaldinho collected 73 points to finish fourth in the European Footballer of the Year award.
December 14: Inspired by the brillian Ronaldinho, European champions Barcelona have moved into the Club World Cup final with a classy 4-0 win over Mexico's Club America.
December 17: Played in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2006 as Barcelona is defeated by Brazil's Internacional with a late-goal in Yokohama.
2007
August 27: Granted dual nationality by Spain.
October 5: Included in the FIFPro Team of the Year.
2008
July 17: Greeted by 40,000 cheering AC Milan supporters after signing a three-year contract with the seven-time European champions.
August 22: Member of the Brazilian team that won the Bronze Medal at the Beijing Olympic Games.
September 28: Ronaldinho picked the perfect day to claim his first Serie A goal as his header gave AC Milan a 1-0 victory against FC Internazionale Milano.

FIFA World Cup™ Germany 2006 player's profile

Despite being blessed with breathtaking skill and almost supernatural ball control, the endearingly-modest Ronaldinho Gaucho still blushes when he is mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Zico or Pele. He may not pursue the kind of legendary status afforded to Brazilian greats Garrincha, Didi or Vava, but with each passing game the feeling grows that Ronaldinho could become one of the finest players the world has ever seen.
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, better known as Ronaldinho, was born on 21 March 1980 in the Restinga district of Porto Alegre, in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. At the age of seven, older brother Roberto Assis, a professional at local side Gremio Porto Alegre, took the talented youngster to join his club’s youth set-up. The Barcelona star has never forgotten his sibling’s help in getting him where he is today. “My biggest hero is my brother. He’s a shining example as a father, a brother and a footballer.”

Eight years on, Ronaldinho received his first call-up for the Brazilian national team’s junior side, and two years later he was a member of the team that won the FIFA U-17 World Championship in Egypt.

The Brazilian maestro turned professional in 1998, celebrating his first contract by helping Gremio to a 1-0 win over Rio de Janeiro side Vasco de Gama.

It would be another year before ‘Ronnie’ caught the eye of the world’s footballing elite. In 1999, having top-scored in his side’s State Championship win, Ronaldinho made his official debut for the Seleção in a friendly against Latvia. During that year’s Copa America, the fleet-footed forward gave a tantalising glimpse of what was to come with a wonder goal in Brazil’s 7-0 rout of Venezuela.

Namesake Ronaldo
It was around that time, as Ronaldinho’s career began to take off, that he was christened with the surname Gaucho, used to describe people from the Rio Grande do Sul region, in order to avoid confusion with the other Ronaldo, still known by many Brazilians as Ronaldinho. Nowadays, the pair’s fame has reached such levels that such a distinction is no longer necessary.

In 2001, the rising star moved from Gremio to French side Paris Saint-Germain, though not without a protracted transfer wrangle between the parties involved. The move was completed in time for Ronaldinho to seal a place in the Auriverde squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™, where he played a vital role in Brazil’s success.

In the aftermath of his country’s record fifth FIFA World Cup win, Ronaldinho returned to PSG, although not for very long. Despite speculation linking him with both Manchester United and Real Madrid, he ended up at Catalan giants Barcelona, who forked out a club-record €30m for his signature.

The FIFA World Cup winner arrived at Barça in time for the 2003/04 campaign when, after a rocky start to the season, a Ronaldinho-inspired revival saw Barcelona clinch second place behind Valencia. In 2005, the attacker reaffirmed his hero status in the eyes of the Azulgrana supporters with nine league goals and umpteen assists in his side’s 17th Primera Liga title win, their first since 1998/99.

Currently one of the most famous faces in world football, Ronaldinho has amassed an admirable collection of individual awards in a relatively short space of time. In 2005 he was presented with France Football magazine’s Golden Ball, awarded to the European Player of the Year, before crowning an amazing 12 months with his second consecutive FIFA World Player of the Year award.

Technically brilliant and a wonderful dribbler, Ronaldinho is an automatic choice in Carlos Alberto Parreira’s Brazil side at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

Despite all his success, Ronaldinho admits: “I used to be always thinking about bizarre things, I was a real dreamer. During the World Cup in 1994, I watched Romario smile and thought: ‘I want to look like that.’ Later on, when Ronaldo was voted the best player in the world, I wanted to be just like him…” The charismatic Brazilian’s words are proof of one thing: Dreams do sometimes come true.

© 2001-2006 FIFA, All Rights Reserved

UEFA Champions League 2005-06 player's profile

One of the world's most dangerous and exciting players, Ronaldinho is equally proficient at creating chances or finishing, can play anywhere up front and is deadly from free-kicks.

National team
Brilliant at the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1997 and top scorer in the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, the Brazilian helped his country squeeze narrowly into the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals. In Korea/Japan he was exceptional, scoring against China and the quarter-final winner against England to help his country to a record fifth World Cup triumph. Although he sat out the 2004 Copa América, he is a vital component in their 2006 World Cup campaign, and scored in the 2005 Confederations Cup final as Brazil defeated Argentina 4-1.

Club
Beginning his career with Grêmio Football Porto Alegrense in his homeland, the buck-toothed playmaker appeared in 36 league games over four years, scoring 13 times before making a controversial transfer to French side Paris Saint-Germain FC in 2001.

2002: Although his time in Paris was not successful in terms of trophies, Ronaldinho was the outstanding player in an average PSG team, scoring 17 times in more than 50 league games over two seasons in the French capital.

2003: Ronaldinho became FC Barcelona's record signing in July when he agreed a €30m move after a protracted transfer saga. The Catalan club's hefty investment was amply rewarded, however, as the Brazilian scored 22 times in his first season to help Barça to second place in the Primera Divisón. He signed an improved contract in summer 2004, increasing his buy-out clause to a reported €150m.

2004/05: He was voted FIFA Player of the Year and delighted spectators in the UEFA Champions League: his jaw-dropping, last-gasp winner against AC Milan in the group stage was only surpassed by a seemingly impossible strike in the return leg against Chelsea FC on 8 March but Barça lost the tie 5-4 on aggregate. Consolation came in the form of the Spanish title.

Did you know?
While filming a television commercial in March 2004, Ronaldinho broke a window in the 12th century cathedral Santiago de Compostela.

©uefa.com 1998-2006. All rights reserved.

Kaka

Player Information

Full name: Ricardo (Kaká) Izecson dos Santos Leite
Date of birth: April 22, 1982
Birthplace: Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
Nationality: Brazilian
2nd nationality: Italian
EU passport: Yes
Height: 183 cms
Weight: 73 kgs

Club: Milan
Position: Attacking Midfielder/Forward [R, C]
Squad Number: 22
Contract expires: June 2013
Previous clubs: São Paulo > (€8.5m) Milan

International debut: January 2002, v Bolivia
International Caps: 37
International Goals: 12
World Cups: Korea/Japan 2002 (1st), Germany 2006

Awards

FIFA World Cup (2002)
FIFA Confederations Cup (2005)

UEFA Super Cup (2003, 2007)
UEFA Champions League (2007)
FIFA Club World Cup (2007)

Italian Serie A (2004)
Italian Super Cup (2004)

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Player of the Year (2002)
Italian Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year (2004, 2006)
UEFA Champions League Best Midfielder (2005)
UEFA Champions League Top Scorer (2007)
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (2007)
European Footballer of the Year (2007)
World Soccer Player of the Year (2007)
FIFA Club World Cup Best Player (2007)
FIFA World Player of the Year (2007)
Italian Serie A Footballer of the Year (2007)

Biography

1982
Born April 22 in Brasilia to Simone Cristina dos Santos Leite and Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite. His background is relatively privileged, born into upper-middle class in Brasilia, raised in Sao Paulo.
2000
September: He suffered a career-threatening and possibly paralysis-inducing spine fracture at the age of 18 as a result of a swimming pool accident, but remarkably made a full recovery. He attributes his recovery to God and since tithed his income to his church.
2001
March 7: Made his comeback on the pitch, when he came in as a reserve-substitute in the Torneio Rio-São Paulo final match between São Paulo and Botafogo and scored two goals, among them the match-winner, in less than five minutes.
July: Member of the Brazilian team that reached the FIFA World Youth Championship quarterfinals in Argentina.
August 8: Scored on his Brasilerao debut, a 1-2 Sao Paulo defeat at Vitoria.
2002
January: Kaka made his debut for the Brazil national football team against Bolivia.
June: Part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning squad, but played only 19 minutes, all of which were in the first round match against Costa Rica. During the final against Germany, coach Luis Felipe Scolari was reportedly about to send Kaka on as a substitute, but he never made it into the game as the referee did not notice him waving on the sidelines to enter the pitch.
December: Collected 27 votes to finish fifth in the El Pais' South American Player of the Year award.
2003
June: AC Milan brought him aboard for $8.5 million, a fee described in hindsight as "peanuts" by club owner Silvio Berlusconi.
July: Kaka was the captain for the Gold Cup tournament, where Brazil finished as runner-up, as did Kaka with a second-best three goals. He was also named as one of the competition's top eleven players by position.
September 1: Made his Serie A debut in a 2-0 Milan win at A.C. Ancona.
2004
November: Appointed as an Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations' World Food Programme, the youngest to do so at the time of his appointment.
2005
May: Despite Milan losing the 2004-05 Champions League final to Liverpool F.C. on penalties, he was nonetheless voted the best midfielder of the tournament, and also finished ninth, with 19 votes, in the running for the 2005 Ballon D'Or.
June 29: Scored in a 4-1 defeat of Argentina in the 2005 Confederations Cup final, with a powerful shot into the upper right-hand corner of the net.
2006
April 9: Scored his first Rossoneri hat-trick against Chievo Verona. All three goals were scored in the second half.
April: Member of the AC Milan team that reached the UEFA Champions League semifinals, losing against FC Barcelona.
June 13: Brazil midfielder Kaka edged out several other worthy candidates for the Budweiser Man of the Match honours as the world champions opened their Germany 2006 campaign with a 1-0 win over Croatia.
August 14: Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon admitted that Kaka will not now arrive at the club this season.
August 23: Real Madrid and AC Milan officials meet on Milan to discuss a probable swap between Ronaldo and Kaka.
September 27: Kaka criticised coach Carlo Ancelotti's tactics in the 0-0 draw at Lille in the UEFA Champions League. "I prefer playing with the formation with two forwards. In the game against Lille, I was obliged to keep the ball a lot - and then some people will say I am selfish. With only one forward, when I'm marked, I must try always a personal shot. With two forwards, it's easier passing the ball to one of them. At this time, we were not able to score - even if we created a lot of opportunities," he said.
October 12: Included among the 30 nominees for the FIFA World Player of the Year Award.
October 17: Included among the 50 nominees for the European Footballer of the Year Award.
November 1: Kaka had a night to remember after scoring his first UEFA Champions League hat-trick in Milan's 4-1 victory against Anderlecht.
November 6: Included in the FIFPro Team of the Year.
2007
February 12: Kaka received his Italian passport.
May 12: Citing an exhaustive schedule of Serie A, Champions League and national team play, Kaka openly bowed out of the 2007 Copa América, which was won by Brazil. "I haven't had a break for three seasons. I won't have the form to achieve what is expected of me at an international level."
May 23: Won the UEFA Champions League with AC Milan after a 2-1 victory over Liverpool FC at the OACA Spyro Louis in Athens, Greece.
May 25: Named the Vodafone Fans' UUEFA Champions League Player of the Season after nearly 100,000 uefa.com users voted in the competition.
August 30: Kaka collected the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and UEFA Club Forward of the Year prizes.
August 31: Member of the AC Milan squad that came from behind to defeat Sevilla FC 3-1 in Monaco and claim the UEFA Super Cup for a record fifth time on a night which served as a fitting tribute to the memory of Antonio Puerta.
October 5: Kaka lifted the FIFPro's World Player of the Year title.
December 2: Voted the European Footballer of the Year, collecting the Ballon d'Or live on French television. Kaka told free-to-air channel TV TF1: "This award crowns an outstanding year for me. I thank God for this prize, which is the biggest any player can win, and also my wife and my parents. But to get a trophy like this, you also need to have a winning team around you, that's essential - so I'm grateful to Milan and to Brazil."
December 13: Named as World Player of the Year by the prestigious British magazine World Soccer. Kaka gained 52.8 per cent of the votes, making him only the second player in the 26-year history of the award to receive more than half those cast. The only other player to do so was Michel Platini in 1984.
December 16: Orchestrated Milan's FIFA Club World Cup victory, scoring his side's third goal as well as setting up two for Filippo Inzaghi as the rossoneri became the first European side to win the revamped tournament after they defeated Argentinian side Boca Juniors 4-2 in Yokohama, Japan.
December 17: Completed a virtual sweep of annual awards by winning FIFA's World Player of the Year. Kaka received 1,047 points, ahead of Messi with 504 and Cristiano Ronaldo with 426 in a vote by national team captains and managers.
2008
January 28: Voted Player of the Year for 2007 by his fellow professionals at Italy&39;s Oscar del Calcio.
February 28: Extended his contract with AC Milan, committing to the red devils until 2013.
April 20: Scored a hat-trick in the AC Milan's Serie A 5-1 win against Reggina Calcio.
October 27: Included in the FIFPro World XI Team of the Year.

FIFA World Cup™ Germany 2006 player's profile

Kaka is a focused and aggressive attacking midfielder, with good ball skills and stamina, who can move into a striking role when required.
Kaka moved from Sao Paulo to AC Milan in 2003 after collecting the award for best player in the 2002 Brazilian championship and subsequently won the Serie A title in his first season in Italy.

He played in Brazil’s 2002 FIFA World Cup™ finals campaign, albeit not the Final, and scored five goals in their qualifiers for Germany 2006.

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UEFA Champions League 2005-06 player's profile

A tireless worker who is blessed with creativity, good passing skills and a fine shot, attacking midfield player Ricardo Izecson Santos Leite 'Kaká' moved to Italy in the summer of 2003 vowing to "combine Brazilian fantasy with the tactical discipline of European football".

National team
After representing Brazil at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, he enjoyed a memorable breakthrough year in 2002, making his international debut against Bolivia before playing for his country at the FIFA World Cup. Since then he starred in the Brazilian Under-23 side that lost the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup final to Mexico and appeared regularly in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. He was not selected for the 2004 Copa América but played the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany.

Club
Born in Brasilia in 1982, Kaká is a product of São Paulo FC, for whom he played socred 22 goals in 56 league games over three seasons. Completed an €8.5m move to European champions Milan in June 2003, after months of speculation. He signed a four-year contract.

2003: Excelled in his first season in Serie A, quickly establishing himself as regular and scoring ten times as Milan secured their 17th Scudetto. He was also an ever-present in their UEFA Champions League campaign.

2004/05: Missed only two league games, scoring seven goals as Milan finished runners-up to Juventus FC and played every Champions League match, scoring twice against FC Shakhtar Donetsk. In the final, his wonderful pass set up Hernán Crespo for his second goal and Milan's third, only for Liverpool FC to mount a stunning comeback and take the match to penalties despite Kaká converting his kick.

Did you know?
With his first touch of the game, Kaká scored Brazil's winning goal in their opening 2006 World Cup qualifier against Colombia.

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