"Kaka is the new Cruyff" Pele said.

BRAZILIAN legend Pele reckons Kaka and Clarence Seedorf will rip Liverpool apart on Wednesday night.

But he still thinks Steven Gerrard can test Milan’s resolve before the Italian club comes out on top in Athens.

The world’s greatest-ever player — a triple World Cup winner — is convinced countryman Kaka will reign supreme.

He said: “Kaka isn’t the new Pele — he is the new Johan Cruyff.

“He keeps getting better and is so fast. He sees the goal early and when he sets off from midfield he is unique.

“Kaka has grown in a way I never expected. And when he is in form, like he is now, Milan are just devastating.

“Together with Ronaldinho, Kaka is the best player in the world at the moment and he will make the difference against Liverpool.

“But it is not just Kaka who will be too much for Liverpool. It is the way he works with Seedorf, too.

“The one quietly providing so much of the balance is Seedorf. He disguises a pass beautifully and gets many assists.

“These two together mean Milan will be champions of Europe.”

Even so, Pele predicts Rafa’s Benitez’s side will go down fighting.

He added: “It is going to be very different for Milan than it was against Manchester United.

“Liverpool don’t play spectacular, open attacking football. But they are strong physically, they close you down.

“Then they set off on the counter-attacks, carried along by Gerrard. It will take a steady nerve for Milan to cope with those.

“I can see a massive battle in midfield between Mascherano and Gattuso. But Milan are technically superior and have players who can make a difference.”

Pele, now 66, also claims United’s Cristiano Ronaldo is not world class yet.

He said: “He isn’t Garrincha, who was less quick but had better dribbling skills than Ronaldo.

“I would put Ronaldo on the second level of players, along with Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney.”