Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite ,or more formally known as Kaka, has won the World Football Player of the Year. With past winners including the likes of Cannavaro, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo, Kaka was able to beat Manchester United’s Christiano Ronaldo (2nd) and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi (3rd). The 25-year-old received 444 points in a France Football poll of 96 journalists, with Ronaldo collecting 277 points in second place.
In response, Kaka said:
“It has been a sensational year in which I also won the Champions League.“I thank God for being here and lifting up this award. I must say that this award is the conclusion of a really sensational year.
“I thank my wife, my parents. I also thank Milan, the coach, my team-mates. It’s beautiful being part of such a brilliant side and you can’t win it without them.
“It’s the top prize around and the only way to win something like this is to play for a team like AC Milan. It’s great to be part of a team that wins.”
The full rankings are to be released soon – with the likes of Arsenal’s Francesc Fabregas and Barcelona’s Ronaldinho surely to be in the mix.