Ricardo Kaka might have left the limelight of European football to join MLS side Orlando City FC in 2014, but the fleet-footed Brazilian will always be remembered as one of the greatest footballer’s to have graced the modern game.
Kaka has played for AC Milan twice with a stint at Real Madrid in between and certainly knows his way around superstars of football. The 32-year-old used his experience of being around some of the biggest names in football for the last 15 years and has picked his Dream XI for Sportsmail.
The major surprise in the Brazilian’s selection is the absence of one Lionel Messi in his team. Here’s a look at Kaka’s ultimate XI described in his own words.
GOALKEEPER
Dida
“I played with Iker Casillas for four years at Real Madrid, but for me Dida is the best goalkeeper. We played together and won together at AC Milan and for the Brazil national team. He is an unbelievable keeper.”
DEFENCE
Cafu
“Every time I have to say something about players that I've learnt a lot from, I talk about Cafu. He won the World Cup twice and the Champions League, but still he worked every day to win. His motivation was always victory in the next game.”
Paolo Maldini
“He is similar to Cafu. He won five Champions Leagues, he won Serie A seven times, he won so much, but he was always the first to arrive and the last to go home from training. He was the perfect example for a player.”
Alessandro Nesta
“The Italian players, they see the game in a different way to other nations. They grow up learning about tactics so when they play professionally they can see where to position themselves and how to move and what the opponents will do. It made Nesta such a strong defender and he was so quick, too.”
Roberto Carlos
“What an amazing player he was. So exciting at left back. I enjoyed playing with him. He was quick, strong and could hit some unbelievable free kicks and shots at goal.”
MIDFIELD
Andres Iniesta
"He makes the toughest things on a football pitch look easy. That's the biggest compliment I can pay him. How he plays, everything seems so simple. This is what I like about him.
Zinedine Zidane
“I never played with Zidane, just against him. It was wonderful how he played, how he moved around the field. It was like he was gliding. What he could do with a football, it was sometimes impossible to imagine.”
Andrea Pirlo
“I loved to play with Pirlo. I think he's one of the greats. He sees the action before anyone else does on the pitch. My position was to play behind the lines, and he found me every time he could find me.”
ATTACK
Cristiano Ronaldo
“I will have the three Ronaldo's up front, starting with Cristiano. I learnt a lot from him, which helped in my career, when we played for Real Madrid. He is the best player on the planet at the moment, a special player.”
Ronaldo
“For me, the Brazilian Ronaldo is one of the best strikers in the history of the game. He is different to anyone. I would have to say he was the best player I played together with. His speed, his dribbling, his finishing, his movement. I love him."
Ronaldinho
“I played against Lionel Messi, but Ronaldinho makes my final slot. He is a genius. He can do things with the ball you don't understand. During training, you see a lot of things you don't see in the game. In training, he was free from the emotional part, the responsibility of matches. In training, he was free to do what he wanted.”
Here’s how the formation will look like:
Let’s look at Kaka’s top 30 goals:
