Kaká

Kaká married his childhood sweetheart, Caroline Lyra Celico, on December 23, 2005. Soon, they had two children: a son, Luca, and a daughter, Isabella. The couple divorced in 2015.

Kaká has been dating Brazilian model Carolina Dias since 2016.

He was the youngest UN Ambassador for the ‘World Food Programme’ at the time of his appointment.

Kaká was born Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite on April 22, 1982, in Gama, Federal District, Brazil, to Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite, a civil engineer, and Simone dos Santos, an elementary-school teacher. His brother, Rodrigo, better known as Digão, is also a professional footballer.

Kakás name was a result of his younger brother’s inability to pronounce his real name, “Ricardo,” as a kid. His brother called him “CaCa,” which evolved into ‘Kaká.’

Kaká’s family moved to São Paulo when he was 7, and his love for football grew thereafter. He played in a local youth club called ‘Alphaville’ before he became part of ‘São Paulo FC,’ a hometown club. At the very beginning of his career, Kaká suffered a spinal injury that almost paralyzed him. However, Kaká made a full recovery.

He has always donated a part of his income to his church as an act of gratitude to God. He leads an active Christian life.

He began his career at the age of 8, with ‘São Paulo FC,’ and signed a contract at the age of 15. He made 27 appearances and scored 12 goals in the 2001 season.

He also led ‘São Paulo FC’ to win the ‘Torneio Rio-São Paulo’ in 2001, the only time the club won the championship. In the next season, Kaká made 22 appearances with 10 goals and attracted the attention of a lot of European clubs.

Kaká’s sudden exposure to European clubs earned him a big deal with ‘AC Milan’ in 2003. The club signed him for a whopping €8.5 million.

He made his ‘Serie A’ debut for ‘AC Milan’ in Italy in a 1–0 win over ‘Ancona.’ He contributed 10 goals in 30 appearances for ‘AC Milan’ in the first season and earned nominations for both the ‘Ballon d’Or’ and the ‘FIFA World Player of the Year.’

In the 2004–2005 season, he helped his team win the ‘Supercoppa Italiana’ after beating ‘Lazio.’ He scored 7 goals in 36 appearances for the season and helped his team reach the ‘Champions League Final’ against ‘Liverpool.’

In the next season, he continued scoring hat-tricks in the ‘Italian Serie’ and the ‘UEFA Champions League.’ In the 2006–2007 season, he ended up becoming the top scorer, with a total of 19 goals at the ‘UEFA Champions League.’

He was also named the ‘UEFA Club Footballer of the Year’ and became part of the ‘UEFA Team of the Year’ in the same season. He was voted as 2007’s ‘IFFHS World’s Best Playmaker.’