Kaka overlooked Cristiano Ronaldo when tasked with assembling his ‘perfect player.’
The Brazilian maestro, who dominated in his prime and secured the 2007 Ballon d’Or while guiding AC Milan to Champions League victory, was known for his all-around brilliance.
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Goal inquired with the 41-year-old to craft his ideal footballer by selecting stars for various categories.
Surprisingly, there was no inclusion of Ronaldo, with whom Kaka shared the field for four years following their high-profile transfers to Real Madrid in the summer of 2009.
Lionel Messi was chosen, however, saying: “I don’t think I need to say something” after being asked who he would choose in terms of skill.
Kaka had to show love to his compatriots, going with the left foot of Marcelo and the right foot of former PSG star Neymar.
Speed saw Kylian Mbappe get the nod, with Kaka adding that the Paris Saint-Germain attacker is “very fast” and stressing that “it’s not easy to run fast with the ball”.
Erling Haaland was chosen for his strength, and a second Manchester City player rounded out the selection. When tasked with selecting a player based on footballing intelligence, Kaka promptly mentioned Kevin De Bruyne.
“He’s very smart, he’s very intelligent on the field. He can see the play and the action before the other players so I think Kevin De Bruyne, he’s different.”
Kaka has chosen to overlook Ronaldo once again, opting instead for his namesake ‘R9’ as the best player he has ever played with, despite acknowledging the incredible abilities of both players.
“Ronaldo was the best player I ever played with,” he told SPORTbible when asked to decide between the two.
“The things I saw that guy do on the field was amazing. Ronaldo was the best I played with, but what Cristiano did – and is doing – is just unreal. The most important thing for me about Cristiano is the way he can motivate himself after all the achievements he has got.”
