After the days of Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Ronaldo came a new wave of Brazilians that was led by Kaka.
It’s often forgotten that Kaka was part of the side that won the 2002 World Cup - he made a brief appearance against Costa Rica - and one year after that tournament the attacking midfielder, then 21, signed for AC Milan.
Kaka enjoyed his best years in Italy. It was there that he developed into a world-class talent, winning the Champions League in 2007 and topping the year off by claiming the Ballon d’Or.
It was no surprise that Real Madrid were willing to spend £56 million on the Brazilian in 2009, making him the most expensive player in history at the time.
But Kaka’s spell at the Bernabeu was a troubled one. He spent eight months out due to a knee injury in 2010, during which time Madrid signed Mesut Ozil.
Ozil quickly became Jose Mourinho’s preferred playmaker and Kaka struggled for minutes thereafter.
In August 2013, Kaka expressed his desire to leave Spain. That wish was granted a month later when he returned to AC Milan.
Kaka’s had a great career, but how those four years at Real Madrid put a stain on his record.
Remembering when Kaka smoked Messi
For an idea of just how good the Orlando City man was at his peak, let’s rewind to 2006 and an international friendly between Brazil and Argentina at the Emirates Stadium.
Brazil cruised to a 3-0 win but all anyone remembers about that game is how Kaka rinsed Lionel Messi before scoring a brilliant goal.
Messi failed to control the ball after an Argentina corner was cleared and Kaka was onto him in a flash.
When we talk about Kaka we don’t often bring up his speed, but he burst away from Messi with ease.
He then slalomed his way into Argentina’s area before slotting the ball past Roberto Abbondanzieri.
It was simply beautiful. Watch the video below.
Messi still probably has nightmares.
Full match highlights
Milan's players missed Kaka
In 2015, Andrea Pirlo revealed just how Kaka’s departure from the San Siro in 2009 had an impact on AC Milan’s dressing room.
“I remember how badly we took it as a team when Kaka left Milan,” Pirlo said, per the Daily Mail.
“For two or three years he was the best player in the world. There was a point when teams just had no idea how to stop him.”