“I’ve missed you,” Kaká says, directly addressing the Champions League trophy, which is placed beside him for our interview ahead of the league phase draw in Monaco. The Brazilian, still youthful looking at 43, first got his hands on the silverware in 2007 as the mercurial playmaker in Carlo Ancelotti’s brilliant AC Milan side that gained revenge against Liverpool in the Athens final after losing the 2005 showpiece to the Reds. It’s clear that if Kaká had his way, he’d still be out on the pitch. “I miss it. I miss playing, competing. Winning is great, of course, but it’s the journey that you remember – every match, every trip, the excitement and feelings. Every goal and assist. All the victories and defeats. At the end of it, the prize is this wonderful trophy.” Here, the Ballon d’Or winner recalls the best of those highlights…
With Milan leading 2-0 in the 2005 final, Kaká threads the ball through the eye of a needle from the halfway line, dissecting Liverpool defenders Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypiä to send Hernán Crespo clear. The pass is so perfect that Argentinian striker takes it in his stride and needs just one touch to chip the ball over the onrushing Jerzy Dudek and put Milan firmly in charge by half-time. “It comes down to many things because an assist is always paired up with another player’s movement. In this case, Crespo made some clever runs that showed what a smart player he was. When he started to make his run, it helped me decide where to place the ball. It’s one of those quick decisions you make during a game, and that pass turned out to be one of the best assists of my career. But all that’s left for me is the bitterness of losing, though losing also teaches you a lot. I learned how difficult it is to win the Champions League.”
“What made the 2006/07 season at Milan so special was the people: an extremely intelligent and capable manager, Carlo Ancelotti, and an extremely talented team. There was no vanity or inflated egos. Nobody wanted or needed to be the best player – everyone understood their role in the team and at the club. We had incredibly accomplished players such as Cafu, Paolo Maldini, Serginho, Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Filippo Inzaghi. They were experienced and passed their knowledge on to the newcomers, such as myself. What enabled us to go so far was that mix of leadership and talent.”
Among the high points of that season was Milan’s semi-final victory against Manchester United, a tie lit up by Kaká’s brilliant solo goal in the first leg at Old Trafford. “Every play unfolded instinctively – chipping the ball over Darren Fletcher, heading it past Gabriel Heinze and Patrice Evra, and placing it beyond Edwin van der Sar. I relied on my intuition and creativity to solve each problem as it came. Face to face with a great goalkeeper, Van der Sar, I knew there was no point going for a powerful shot. I’d need to place it where he couldn’t reach it. Since he was a tall keeper, I kept my shot low. It’s about using creative intuition to find a solution on the spot. It turned out to be one of the most special goals of my career.”
“The return leg against United on a rainy evening at San Siro became known in Italy as the perfect match – La partita perfetta – because of everything that happened, the atmosphere, the excitement. I scored one of the goals in the [3-0] win and we reached another final against Liverpool. All of that made this particular game one of the most important and unforgettable in my career.”
“The 2007 final in Athens really was the icing on the cake. The moment you lift that trophy, you think back to what you’ve been through – my childhood, everything that happened until I became a professional footballer, starting at São Paulo, all the moments of my career and how it all came together to win the Champions League. Before the game, you feel nervous, you get goose bumps, there’s a little bit of uncertainty. You play the match in your head a few times. You think of things that might happen. During preparation and meal times, the meetings – these are all tense, anxious moments, and it’s a bit harder to manage those emotions. Then, the moment of truth comes on the pitch. You use the fear, the apprehension and uncertainty to help you perform, which allows you to feel relief, happiness, joy and ecstasy – all those happy feelings at the end of the match when you’re crowned champion. Winning the Champions League means reaching the pinnacle, like being a mountain climber who, after all that struggle, reaches the top of a mountain and plants a flag. That’s the feeling. ‘I’ve done it,’ not in the individual sense but collectively, together with my team-mates. It’s so tough to win it. It’s a very tough mountain to climb.”
“I’ve missed you,” Kaká says, directly addressing the Champions League trophy, which is placed beside him for our interview ahead of the league phase draw in Monaco. The Brazilian, still youthful looking at 43, first got his hands on the silverware in 2007 as the mercurial playmaker in Carlo Ancelotti’s brilliant AC Milan side that gained revenge against Liverpool in the Athens final after losing the 2005 showpiece to the Reds. It’s clear that if Kaká had his way, he’d still be out on the pitch. “I miss it. I miss playing, competing. Winning is great, of course, but it’s the journey that you remember – every match, every trip, the excitement and feelings. Every goal and assist. All the victories and defeats. At the end of it, the prize is this wonderful trophy.” Here, the Ballon d’Or winner recalls the best of those highlights…
With Milan leading 2-0 in the 2005 final, Kaká threads the ball through the eye of a needle from the halfway line, dissecting Liverpool defenders Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypiä to send Hernán Crespo clear. The pass is so perfect that Argentinian striker takes it in his stride and needs just one touch to chip the ball over the onrushing Jerzy Dudek and put Milan firmly in charge by half-time. “It comes down to many things because an assist is always paired up with another player’s movement. In this case, Crespo made some clever runs that showed what a smart player he was. When he started to make his run, it helped me decide where to place the ball. It’s one of those quick decisions you make during a game, and that pass turned out to be one of the best assists of my career. But all that’s left for me is the bitterness of losing, though losing also teaches you a lot. I learned how difficult it is to win the Champions League.”
“What made the 2006/07 season at Milan so special was the people: an extremely intelligent and capable manager, Carlo Ancelotti, and an extremely talented team. There was no vanity or inflated egos. Nobody wanted or needed to be the best player – everyone understood their role in the team and at the club. We had incredibly accomplished players such as Cafu, Paolo Maldini, Serginho, Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Filippo Inzaghi. They were experienced and passed their knowledge on to the newcomers, such as myself. What enabled us to go so far was that mix of leadership and talent.”
Among the high points of that season was Milan’s semi-final victory against Manchester United, a tie lit up by Kaká’s brilliant solo goal in the first leg at Old Trafford. “Every play unfolded instinctively – chipping the ball over Darren Fletcher, heading it past Gabriel Heinze and Patrice Evra, and placing it beyond Edwin van der Sar. I relied on my intuition and creativity to solve each problem as it came. Face to face with a great goalkeeper, Van der Sar, I knew there was no point going for a powerful shot. I’d need to place it where he couldn’t reach it. Since he was a tall keeper, I kept my shot low. It’s about using creative intuition to find a solution on the spot. It turned out to be one of the most special goals of my career.”
“The return leg against United on a rainy evening at San Siro became known in Italy as the perfect match – La partita perfetta – because of everything that happened, the atmosphere, the excitement. I scored one of the goals in the [3-0] win and we reached another final against Liverpool. All of that made this particular game one of the most important and unforgettable in my career.”
“The 2007 final in Athens really was the icing on the cake. The moment you lift that trophy, you think back to what you’ve been through – my childhood, everything that happened until I became a professional footballer, starting at São Paulo, all the moments of my career and how it all came together to win the Champions League. Before the game, you feel nervous, you get goose bumps, there’s a little bit of uncertainty. You play the match in your head a few times. You think of things that might happen. During preparation and meal times, the meetings – these are all tense, anxious moments, and it’s a bit harder to manage those emotions. Then, the moment of truth comes on the pitch. You use the fear, the apprehension and uncertainty to help you perform, which allows you to feel relief, happiness, joy and ecstasy – all those happy feelings at the end of the match when you’re crowned champion. Winning the Champions League means reaching the pinnacle, like being a mountain climber who, after all that struggle, reaches the top of a mountain and plants a flag. That’s the feeling. ‘I’ve done it,’ not in the individual sense but collectively, together with my team-mates. It’s so tough to win it. It’s a very tough mountain to climb.”
“I’ve missed you,” Kaká says, directly addressing the Champions League trophy, which is placed beside him for our interview ahead of the league phase draw in Monaco. The Brazilian, still youthful looking at 43, first got his hands on the silverware in 2007 as the mercurial playmaker in Carlo Ancelotti’s brilliant AC Milan side that gained revenge against Liverpool in the Athens final after losing the 2005 showpiece to the Reds. It’s clear that if Kaká had his way, he’d still be out on the pitch. “I miss it. I miss playing, competing. Winning is great, of course, but it’s the journey that you remember – every match, every trip, the excitement and feelings. Every goal and assist. All the victories and defeats. At the end of it, the prize is this wonderful trophy.” Here, the Ballon d’Or winner recalls the best of those highlights…
With Milan leading 2-0 in the 2005 final, Kaká threads the ball through the eye of a needle from the halfway line, dissecting Liverpool defenders Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypiä to send Hernán Crespo clear. The pass is so perfect that Argentinian striker takes it in his stride and needs just one touch to chip the ball over the onrushing Jerzy Dudek and put Milan firmly in charge by half-time. “It comes down to many things because an assist is always paired up with another player’s movement. In this case, Crespo made some clever runs that showed what a smart player he was. When he started to make his run, it helped me decide where to place the ball. It’s one of those quick decisions you make during a game, and that pass turned out to be one of the best assists of my career. But all that’s left for me is the bitterness of losing, though losing also teaches you a lot. I learned how difficult it is to win the Champions League.”
“What made the 2006/07 season at Milan so special was the people: an extremely intelligent and capable manager, Carlo Ancelotti, and an extremely talented team. There was no vanity or inflated egos. Nobody wanted or needed to be the best player – everyone understood their role in the team and at the club. We had incredibly accomplished players such as Cafu, Paolo Maldini, Serginho, Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Filippo Inzaghi. They were experienced and passed their knowledge on to the newcomers, such as myself. What enabled us to go so far was that mix of leadership and talent.”
Among the high points of that season was Milan’s semi-final victory against Manchester United, a tie lit up by Kaká’s brilliant solo goal in the first leg at Old Trafford. “Every play unfolded instinctively – chipping the ball over Darren Fletcher, heading it past Gabriel Heinze and Patrice Evra, and placing it beyond Edwin van der Sar. I relied on my intuition and creativity to solve each problem as it came. Face to face with a great goalkeeper, Van der Sar, I knew there was no point going for a powerful shot. I’d need to place it where he couldn’t reach it. Since he was a tall keeper, I kept my shot low. It’s about using creative intuition to find a solution on the spot. It turned out to be one of the most special goals of my career.”
“The return leg against United on a rainy evening at San Siro became known in Italy as the perfect match – La partita perfetta – because of everything that happened, the atmosphere, the excitement. I scored one of the goals in the [3-0] win and we reached another final against Liverpool. All of that made this particular game one of the most important and unforgettable in my career.”
“The 2007 final in Athens really was the icing on the cake. The moment you lift that trophy, you think back to what you’ve been through – my childhood, everything that happened until I became a professional footballer, starting at São Paulo, all the moments of my career and how it all came together to win the Champions League. Before the game, you feel nervous, you get goose bumps, there’s a little bit of uncertainty. You play the match in your head a few times. You think of things that might happen. During preparation and meal times, the meetings – these are all tense, anxious moments, and it’s a bit harder to manage those emotions. Then, the moment of truth comes on the pitch. You use the fear, the apprehension and uncertainty to help you perform, which allows you to feel relief, happiness, joy and ecstasy – all those happy feelings at the end of the match when you’re crowned champion. Winning the Champions League means reaching the pinnacle, like being a mountain climber who, after all that struggle, reaches the top of a mountain and plants a flag. That’s the feeling. ‘I’ve done it,’ not in the individual sense but collectively, together with my team-mates. It’s so tough to win it. It’s a very tough mountain to climb.”
“I’ve missed you,” Kaká says, directly addressing the Champions League trophy, which is placed beside him for our interview ahead of the league phase draw in Monaco. The Brazilian, still youthful looking at 43, first got his hands on the silverware in 2007 as the mercurial playmaker in Carlo Ancelotti’s brilliant AC Milan side that gained revenge against Liverpool in the Athens final after losing the 2005 showpiece to the Reds. It’s clear that if Kaká had his way, he’d still be out on the pitch. “I miss it. I miss playing, competing. Winning is great, of course, but it’s the journey that you remember – every match, every trip, the excitement and feelings. Every goal and assist. All the victories and defeats. At the end of it, the prize is this wonderful trophy.” Here, the Ballon d’Or winner recalls the best of those highlights…
With Milan leading 2-0 in the 2005 final, Kaká threads the ball through the eye of a needle from the halfway line, dissecting Liverpool defenders Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypiä to send Hernán Crespo clear. The pass is so perfect that Argentinian striker takes it in his stride and needs just one touch to chip the ball over the onrushing Jerzy Dudek and put Milan firmly in charge by half-time. “It comes down to many things because an assist is always paired up with another player’s movement. In this case, Crespo made some clever runs that showed what a smart player he was. When he started to make his run, it helped me decide where to place the ball. It’s one of those quick decisions you make during a game, and that pass turned out to be one of the best assists of my career. But all that’s left for me is the bitterness of losing, though losing also teaches you a lot. I learned how difficult it is to win the Champions League.”
“What made the 2006/07 season at Milan so special was the people: an extremely intelligent and capable manager, Carlo Ancelotti, and an extremely talented team. There was no vanity or inflated egos. Nobody wanted or needed to be the best player – everyone understood their role in the team and at the club. We had incredibly accomplished players such as Cafu, Paolo Maldini, Serginho, Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Filippo Inzaghi. They were experienced and passed their knowledge on to the newcomers, such as myself. What enabled us to go so far was that mix of leadership and talent.”
Among the high points of that season was Milan’s semi-final victory against Manchester United, a tie lit up by Kaká’s brilliant solo goal in the first leg at Old Trafford. “Every play unfolded instinctively – chipping the ball over Darren Fletcher, heading it past Gabriel Heinze and Patrice Evra, and placing it beyond Edwin van der Sar. I relied on my intuition and creativity to solve each problem as it came. Face to face with a great goalkeeper, Van der Sar, I knew there was no point going for a powerful shot. I’d need to place it where he couldn’t reach it. Since he was a tall keeper, I kept my shot low. It’s about using creative intuition to find a solution on the spot. It turned out to be one of the most special goals of my career.”
“The return leg against United on a rainy evening at San Siro became known in Italy as the perfect match – La partita perfetta – because of everything that happened, the atmosphere, the excitement. I scored one of the goals in the [3-0] win and we reached another final against Liverpool. All of that made this particular game one of the most important and unforgettable in my career.”
“The 2007 final in Athens really was the icing on the cake. The moment you lift that trophy, you think back to what you’ve been through – my childhood, everything that happened until I became a professional footballer, starting at São Paulo, all the moments of my career and how it all came together to win the Champions League. Before the game, you feel nervous, you get goose bumps, there’s a little bit of uncertainty. You play the match in your head a few times. You think of things that might happen. During preparation and meal times, the meetings – these are all tense, anxious moments, and it’s a bit harder to manage those emotions. Then, the moment of truth comes on the pitch. You use the fear, the apprehension and uncertainty to help you perform, which allows you to feel relief, happiness, joy and ecstasy – all those happy feelings at the end of the match when you’re crowned champion. Winning the Champions League means reaching the pinnacle, like being a mountain climber who, after all that struggle, reaches the top of a mountain and plants a flag. That’s the feeling. ‘I’ve done it,’ not in the individual sense but collectively, together with my team-mates. It’s so tough to win it. It’s a very tough mountain to climb.”
“I’ve missed you,” Kaká says, directly addressing the Champions League trophy, which is placed beside him for our interview ahead of the league phase draw in Monaco. The Brazilian, still youthful looking at 43, first got his hands on the silverware in 2007 as the mercurial playmaker in Carlo Ancelotti’s brilliant AC Milan side that gained revenge against Liverpool in the Athens final after losing the 2005 showpiece to the Reds. It’s clear that if Kaká had his way, he’d still be out on the pitch. “I miss it. I miss playing, competing. Winning is great, of course, but it’s the journey that you remember – every match, every trip, the excitement and feelings. Every goal and assist. All the victories and defeats. At the end of it, the prize is this wonderful trophy.” Here, the Ballon d’Or winner recalls the best of those highlights…
With Milan leading 2-0 in the 2005 final, Kaká threads the ball through the eye of a needle from the halfway line, dissecting Liverpool defenders Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypiä to send Hernán Crespo clear. The pass is so perfect that Argentinian striker takes it in his stride and needs just one touch to chip the ball over the onrushing Jerzy Dudek and put Milan firmly in charge by half-time. “It comes down to many things because an assist is always paired up with another player’s movement. In this case, Crespo made some clever runs that showed what a smart player he was. When he started to make his run, it helped me decide where to place the ball. It’s one of those quick decisions you make during a game, and that pass turned out to be one of the best assists of my career. But all that’s left for me is the bitterness of losing, though losing also teaches you a lot. I learned how difficult it is to win the Champions League.”
“What made the 2006/07 season at Milan so special was the people: an extremely intelligent and capable manager, Carlo Ancelotti, and an extremely talented team. There was no vanity or inflated egos. Nobody wanted or needed to be the best player – everyone understood their role in the team and at the club. We had incredibly accomplished players such as Cafu, Paolo Maldini, Serginho, Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Filippo Inzaghi. They were experienced and passed their knowledge on to the newcomers, such as myself. What enabled us to go so far was that mix of leadership and talent.”
Among the high points of that season was Milan’s semi-final victory against Manchester United, a tie lit up by Kaká’s brilliant solo goal in the first leg at Old Trafford. “Every play unfolded instinctively – chipping the ball over Darren Fletcher, heading it past Gabriel Heinze and Patrice Evra, and placing it beyond Edwin van der Sar. I relied on my intuition and creativity to solve each problem as it came. Face to face with a great goalkeeper, Van der Sar, I knew there was no point going for a powerful shot. I’d need to place it where he couldn’t reach it. Since he was a tall keeper, I kept my shot low. It’s about using creative intuition to find a solution on the spot. It turned out to be one of the most special goals of my career.”
“The return leg against United on a rainy evening at San Siro became known in Italy as the perfect match – La partita perfetta – because of everything that happened, the atmosphere, the excitement. I scored one of the goals in the [3-0] win and we reached another final against Liverpool. All of that made this particular game one of the most important and unforgettable in my career.”
“The 2007 final in Athens really was the icing on the cake. The moment you lift that trophy, you think back to what you’ve been through – my childhood, everything that happened until I became a professional footballer, starting at São Paulo, all the moments of my career and how it all came together to win the Champions League. Before the game, you feel nervous, you get goose bumps, there’s a little bit of uncertainty. You play the match in your head a few times. You think of things that might happen. During preparation and meal times, the meetings – these are all tense, anxious moments, and it’s a bit harder to manage those emotions. Then, the moment of truth comes on the pitch. You use the fear, the apprehension and uncertainty to help you perform, which allows you to feel relief, happiness, joy and ecstasy – all those happy feelings at the end of the match when you’re crowned champion. Winning the Champions League means reaching the pinnacle, like being a mountain climber who, after all that struggle, reaches the top of a mountain and plants a flag. That’s the feeling. ‘I’ve done it,’ not in the individual sense but collectively, together with my team-mates. It’s so tough to win it. It’s a very tough mountain to climb.”
“I’ve missed you,” Kaká says, directly addressing the Champions League trophy, which is placed beside him for our interview ahead of the league phase draw in Monaco. The Brazilian, still youthful looking at 43, first got his hands on the silverware in 2007 as the mercurial playmaker in Carlo Ancelotti’s brilliant AC Milan side that gained revenge against Liverpool in the Athens final after losing the 2005 showpiece to the Reds. It’s clear that if Kaká had his way, he’d still be out on the pitch. “I miss it. I miss playing, competing. Winning is great, of course, but it’s the journey that you remember – every match, every trip, the excitement and feelings. Every goal and assist. All the victories and defeats. At the end of it, the prize is this wonderful trophy.” Here, the Ballon d’Or winner recalls the best of those highlights…
With Milan leading 2-0 in the 2005 final, Kaká threads the ball through the eye of a needle from the halfway line, dissecting Liverpool defenders Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypiä to send Hernán Crespo clear. The pass is so perfect that Argentinian striker takes it in his stride and needs just one touch to chip the ball over the onrushing Jerzy Dudek and put Milan firmly in charge by half-time. “It comes down to many things because an assist is always paired up with another player’s movement. In this case, Crespo made some clever runs that showed what a smart player he was. When he started to make his run, it helped me decide where to place the ball. It’s one of those quick decisions you make during a game, and that pass turned out to be one of the best assists of my career. But all that’s left for me is the bitterness of losing, though losing also teaches you a lot. I learned how difficult it is to win the Champions League.”
“What made the 2006/07 season at Milan so special was the people: an extremely intelligent and capable manager, Carlo Ancelotti, and an extremely talented team. There was no vanity or inflated egos. Nobody wanted or needed to be the best player – everyone understood their role in the team and at the club. We had incredibly accomplished players such as Cafu, Paolo Maldini, Serginho, Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Filippo Inzaghi. They were experienced and passed their knowledge on to the newcomers, such as myself. What enabled us to go so far was that mix of leadership and talent.”
Among the high points of that season was Milan’s semi-final victory against Manchester United, a tie lit up by Kaká’s brilliant solo goal in the first leg at Old Trafford. “Every play unfolded instinctively – chipping the ball over Darren Fletcher, heading it past Gabriel Heinze and Patrice Evra, and placing it beyond Edwin van der Sar. I relied on my intuition and creativity to solve each problem as it came. Face to face with a great goalkeeper, Van der Sar, I knew there was no point going for a powerful shot. I’d need to place it where he couldn’t reach it. Since he was a tall keeper, I kept my shot low. It’s about using creative intuition to find a solution on the spot. It turned out to be one of the most special goals of my career.”
“The return leg against United on a rainy evening at San Siro became known in Italy as the perfect match – La partita perfetta – because of everything that happened, the atmosphere, the excitement. I scored one of the goals in the [3-0] win and we reached another final against Liverpool. All of that made this particular game one of the most important and unforgettable in my career.”
“The 2007 final in Athens really was the icing on the cake. The moment you lift that trophy, you think back to what you’ve been through – my childhood, everything that happened until I became a professional footballer, starting at São Paulo, all the moments of my career and how it all came together to win the Champions League. Before the game, you feel nervous, you get goose bumps, there’s a little bit of uncertainty. You play the match in your head a few times. You think of things that might happen. During preparation and meal times, the meetings – these are all tense, anxious moments, and it’s a bit harder to manage those emotions. Then, the moment of truth comes on the pitch. You use the fear, the apprehension and uncertainty to help you perform, which allows you to feel relief, happiness, joy and ecstasy – all those happy feelings at the end of the match when you’re crowned champion. Winning the Champions League means reaching the pinnacle, like being a mountain climber who, after all that struggle, reaches the top of a mountain and plants a flag. That’s the feeling. ‘I’ve done it,’ not in the individual sense but collectively, together with my team-mates. It’s so tough to win it. It’s a very tough mountain to climb.”
