Kaka has dedicated his participation to the cause of hungry children

Rome, 22 May (AKI) - Brazilan football superstar Kaka has dedicated his participation in Wednesday's UEFA Champions League Final to the cause of hungry children. Kaka who is a goodwill Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) will play Italian club AC Milan against England's Liverpool in the final in Athens. "Obviously, Wednesday night is all about winning the Champions League trophy for AC Milan," he said. "But personally, I also want to dedicate my appearance in the Athens final to the cause of hungry children."

“As professional footballers, we are very privileged,” said Kakà as he
prepared for the final in Athens. “From time to time we have a chance to
help others because of who we are and what we do. I want to use my
position as a WFP Ambassador Against Hunger to make more people aware of
the challenges of feeding hundreds of millions of hungry children in some
of the poorest, least developed parts of the world.”

“It’s an incredible asset to have the world’s best player in the world’s
favourite game on our team,” said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran.

“Kakà has shown that he can combine the skills and dedication needed to be
at the very top of the game with a commitment to a worthy humanitarian
cause.”

Kakà’s dedication of the Champions League final follows the decision
earlier this year, by Paul Tergat, the world marathon record holder - and
another WFP Ambassador Against Hunger - to dedicate his participation in
the 2007 Flora London Marathon to the cause of hungry children.

Clipped from : http://www.adnki.com

"KAKA is a phenomenon" Cristiano Said

anchester United player Cristiano Ronaldo has told the media that he feels flattered to be compared to Milan ace, Kaka. "It feels great to be compared to someone along the ranks of Kaka. It motivates me more, he is a phenomenon, one of the splendid players that Europe has produced."

He added that despite his disappointment to losing out to Milan in reaching the finals of the Champions League, it is not goodbye. "We cannot expect to win everything in a year. We did well in the Champions League, but at San Siro, we simply couldn't match up to the Great Milan."

Clipped from : http://kakafans.net

Kaka looks to make his mark

ROME - AC Milan star Kaka is determined to leave his mark on the Champions League final against Liverpool by adding to the 10 goals he has already scored in the competition and steering his team to victory.

“I want to write my name in AC Milan’s history,” said the immensely talented Brazilian who played in the heartbreaking 2005 final defeat to the Merseysiders when Milan threw away a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 at the end of normal time, before losing on penalties.

“It’s been my ambition since I arrived here. I want to be remembered alongside all those players who have made this club great.

“We are in the final and one game away from becoming European champions. Let’s hope this time it’s different to 2005.”

With Liverpool’s defence one of the meanest around, much is resting on Kaka’s shoulders to open up the Premiership club’s watertight backline.

But the softly spoken 25-year-old, a devout evangelical Christian, welcomes the responsibility.

“My team-mates have great faith in me and I consider that an honour,” said the player whose full name is Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite.

“I am happy to hear that they regard me as the decisive player in our team, and that tells me that I have their total respect.

“But I always say that one player alone cannot win a match, everyone is important.”

Kaka said AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini was the player he admired the most.

“Maldini is always the first to arrive at training and the last to leave, and he sets the example for others to follow,” Kaka said.

“He is a true leader, on and off the pitch, and carries it off with a certain style. It’s not something you learn, it’s something you are born with.”

Kaka identified Steven Gerrard as Liverpool’s danger man.

“Gerrard is a leader; he runs, he defends, he shoots and knows how to lift his team,” Kaka said.

The compliment was reciprocated by Gerrard.

“You have to look at Kaka as one of their most dangerous players because he scores a lot of goals and has a lot of assists,” said the England midfielder.

“You have to show a lot of respect to him, but their whole team is covered with world class players and players who have won the World Cup.”

Kaka has played most of the season as a withdrawn striker rather than an out-and-out midfielder, and his speed and eye for goal have propelled Milan into the final.

He scored twice at Old Trafford in the 3-2 semi-final, first leg defeat to Manchester United, and he was on target once more in the 3-0 win at the San Siro.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was full of admiration for Kaka after seeing his team’s defence brutally exposed by the creative Brazilian.

“Kaka is a wonderful player who floats from side to side behind the strikers,” Ferguson said.

“He has wonderful movement, a long stride and is deceptive with his pace.”

Kaka is two goals away from equalling Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Champions League record of 12 goals.

“It would be incredible if I could score twice in the final and become (joint) all-time top scorer, but the most important thing is that we lift the trophy,” he said.

“It will be wonderful to face Liverpool again. It’s a great chance to win a match we should have won two years ago.

“I don’t look at it as revenge, more an opportunity to make up for that day.”


Clipped from : http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/Sport

KAKA the outstanding player in this season's Champions League

AC Milan squad penpix for Champions League final
ROME, May 18 (Reuters) - Brief portraits of AC Milan players ahead of the Champions League final against Liverpool in Athens on May 23:
Goalkeepers:
1-DIDA, 33. No player divides Milan's fans like Dida. The Brazilian international was the hero of Milan's victory in the 2003 Champions League final, when he saved three penalties in their shoot-out win over Juventus. Since then, however, his increasingly erratic performances have damaged his popularity and many of the club's supporters now consider him a liability.
16-KELJKO KALAC, 34. Like Dida, Milan's reserve keeper has a tendency to spill easy balls. He has made two Champions League appearances for the club: first, in the scoreless away draw against Celtic, then in the 2-0 defeat to Lille at the San Siro in December - Milan's only home defeat in the competition this season.
Defenders:
44-MASSIMO ODDO, 30. One of six Milan players - along with Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Filippo Inzaghi and Alberto Gilardino -- who took part in Italy's World Cup-winning campaign last year, Oddo joined the club from Lazio in January to fill the right-back role vacated by Brazil veteran Cafu. He is an erratic crosser but a good tackler, as he proved by helping to shut down Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo in the semifinals.
13-ALESSANDRO NESTA, 31. Plagued by a groin injury during the first half of the season, Nesta is now back to his imperious best. Clinical in the tackle, strong in the air, and possessed of a deceptive turn of speed, the Rome-born defender is a quietly authoritative presence at the centre of Milan's back four.
3-PAOLO MALDINI, 38. If he recovers from a recurrent knee injury to take part in the final, the Milan captain will have appeared in eight European Cup and Champions League finals - a mark only reached by Real Madrid midfielder Francisco Gento. Maldini lacks the pace he once had, but remains effective due to his remarkable sense of positioning.
18-MAREK JANKULOVSKI, 30. The Czech international played in midfield for former club Udinese, but was transformed into a marauding wing-back when Milan bought him at the start of last season. His aggressive partnership with Oddo allowed Milan to dominate the flanks in the return leg of their semifinal against Manchester United.
4-KAKHA KALADZE, 29. Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti used to field Kaladze at left-back, but has recently moved him back into his preferred position in the centre of the defence as a substitute for Paolo Maldini. Like Jankulovski, the Georgian international has plenty of top-level experience and could start in Athens if Maldini's knee injury prevent him from taking part.
2-CAFU, 36. The former Brazil captain has lost his automatic starting place to Oddo, but remains one of Milan's hardest-working players. His huge international experience often prompts team coach Carlo Ancelotti to bring him on as a late substitue when Milan need to protect a lead.
Midfielders:
8-GENNARO GATTUSO, 29. Milan's midfield mastiff is often portrayed as a purely destructive force - a player whose tireless running and tackling breaks down opponents' attacks and frees up space for his more skillful teammates. In the past few years, however, Gattuso has looked increasingly comfortable on the ball and he is now as capable of starting moves as ending them.
20-JOANN GOURCUFF, 20. Billed as Zinedine Zidane's heir apparent when he joined Milan last summer, the Frenchman has spent most of his first season in the shadow of his more illustrious midfield companions. Only used as a substitute for Clarence Seedorf.
21-ANDREA PIRLO, 28. When Milan last won the Champions League in 2003, Pirlo was the pivot around which their team turned. In Athens Liverpool are more likely to worry about Kaka, but if Liverpool give the Italian international time on the ball he will punish them with his combination of great vision and pinpoint passing. Pirlo is also Milan's most dangerous free-kick taker.
23-MASSIMO AMBROSINI, 29. Ambrosini used to spend most of his time on Milan's bench, but Ancelotti's decision to switch from a three to a four-man midfield with Kaka pushed up into attack has led to him getting more starts. Ambrosini is strong in the air, and has headed several match-winning goals from corners and free-kicks this season.
10-CLARENCE SEEDORF, 31. Previous Champions League titles with Ajax (1995), Real Madrid (1998) and Milan (2003) make Seedorf the only player to win the competition with three different clubs. The Dutchman is approaching the match against Liverpool in his best form of the season, having scored in the quarter-final againt Bayern Munich and in the last four against Manchester United.
22-KAKA, 25. The Brazilian international has been the outstanding player in this season's Champions League and is the competition's top scorer with ten goals. In Serie A, he plays in the hole behind the strikers. In Europe, Ancelotti pushes him forward into a role similar to the one Shevchenko used to fulfil - to use his devastating acceleration and speed to tear through opposition defences.
Forwards
9-FILIPPO INZAGHI, 33. Age and a succession of knee injuries have taken their toll on Inzaghi, who has been pushed down the pecking-order by Gilardino. Often mocked for his apparent lack of skill, and accused of being a diver, Inzaghi's phenomenal positional sense remains unimpaired as he showed when he broke Bayern Munich's offside trap to score in the second leg of their quarter-final.
11-ALBERTO GILARDINO, 24. Milan's top scorer in Serie A is the opposite of Inzaghi - a big, muscular centreforward who likes to take on defenders, can score off either foot and is strong in the air. Gilardino has yet to reproduce his domestic form in Europe this season and could feel he has something to prove in Athens.
7-RICARDO OLIVEIRA, 27. The Brazilian who was brought in to replace Andriy Shevchenko at the start of the season has been a disappointment so far, scoring just three times in 25 Serie A matches, and failing to find the net in six Champions League appearances. He is unlikely to feature in the match unless Gilardino or Inzaghi get injured.


Clipped from : http://football.guardian.co.uk

Kaka's the tournament scoring leader.

AC GETS AN A

The Champions League concludes Wednesday at Athens -- a rematch of the incredible 2005 final in which Liverpool came back from 3-0 down to beat AC Milan on penalties.

Just don't expect another six-goal thriller as both are known more for defence these days.

AC has to be favourite after disposing of Manchester United in convincing fashion, and Kaka's the the tournament scoring leader.

There are many great strikers but he's the one who has been getting the job done when it matters most, and nothing matters more than Wednesday.

Liverpool's hoping its physical style can knock the Italians off their game, but I think that's going to take a lot of knocking.

Organizers, meanwhile, are hoping the physical contests are confined to the players as the Greek capital is mobilizing 15,000 cops for crowd control.

That's 14,000 more than for England's F.A. Cup.


Clipped from : http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports

KAKA has been in great form.

Talking about this year's Champions League final in Athens, Juninho doesn't have doubts about which team is more likely to lift the title. "Milan is all class," he says. "Kaka has been in great form. They also have got other great players. Of course, Liverpool is going to be tough to beat. Tactically they are very good. But technically, Milan is superior. That's why I will say it's Milan," predicted Juninho.

And now talking about predictions, we all know how all the experts went wrong last year when they claimed before the 2006 World Cup that it was all but a formality for Brazil — yes, Brazil of Ronaldinho, Kaka, Ronaldo, Robinho and Adriano — to complete their sixth World Cup victory.

"We had the best players in the world. It was the best team. But we could not play our best football during the tournament. It's all about playing as a team," admits Juninho, while refusing to talk about coach Carlos Alberto Parreira's much criticised strategy of preferring aging warriors like Cafu and Roberto Carlos over fresh talents such as Cicinho.

Retired after the setback in Germany, Juninho is determined not to make an international return. "It's all about giving chance to new, young players, about building the team for 2010."
As for 2010, Juninho is convinced who will draw the loudest cheers in South Africa. "Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi will rule. They are excellent players. They are young and have a great future. I see these three competing for the Golden Ball," said Juninho, whose own dead-ball tricks have over the years added life to the game.

Clipped from : www.khaleejtimes.com

Kaka urges AC Milan to break bank on Shevchenko & Ronaldinho

Kaka is urging AC Milan to spend big this summer to land Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko and Barcelona superstar Ronaldinho.

"I would definitely like him (Shevchenko) back at Milan, so if the President decided to bring him in, I'd be happy," said the Brazil international.

Another star Kaka has publicly backed for a San Siro switch is his Brazil teammate Ronaldinho, who was on the end of a fan protest after Barcelona's Copa del Rey debacle this week.

"He is a great player and there's no secret we have an excellent rapport. Ronaldinho at Milan would be wonderful, as he's one of the best in the world. His arrival would be positive both for me and the club."

If Ronaldinho is the subject of transfer speculation, then so is Kaka, as Real Madrid continue to offer record-breaking fees.

"I have said a thousand times that I have a contract with Milan until 2011 and will respect it. After the summer holidays, unless there are truly extraordinary decisions, I will be a Milan player.

"Only the club can sell me, so if they don't opt to kick me out, I will remain. I am happy here and feel at home. My family feels good here too and I have the opportunity to learn a great deal."

Clipped from : www.tribalfootball.com