title: Augustine of Hippo

text: English pop/rock musician, singer and songwriter Sting wrote a song related to Saint Augustine entitled "Saint Augustine in Hell" which was part of his fourth solo studio album "Ten Summoner's Tales" released in March 1993.


title: Volleyball

text: Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summer Olympic Games since Tokyo 1964. Beach volleyball was introduced to the programme at the Atlanta 1996. The adapted version of volleyball at the Summer Paralympic Games is sitting volleyball.


title: Volleyball

text: The complete set of rules is extensive, but play essentially proceeds as follows: a player on one of the teams begins a 'rally' by serving the ball (tossing or releasing it and then hitting it with a hand or arm), from behind the back boundary line of the court, over the net, and into the receiving team's court. The receiving team must not let the ball be grounded within their court. The team may touch the ball up to three times to return the ball to the other side of the court, but individual players may not touch the ball twice consecutively. Typically, the first two touches are used to set up for an attack. An attack is an attempt to direct the ball back over the net in such a way that the team receiving the ball is unable to pass the ball and continue the rally, thus, losing the point. The team that wins the rally is awarded a point and serves the ball to start the next rally. A few of the most common faults include:


title: Volleyball

text: The ball is usually played with the hands or arms, but players can legally strike or push (short contact) the ball with any part of the body.


title: Volleyball

text: A number of consistent techniques have evolved in volleyball, including "spiking" and "blocking" (because these plays are made above the top of the net, the vertical jump is an athletic skill emphasized in the sport) as well as "passing", "setting", and specialized player positions and offensive and defensive structures.


title: Volleyball

text: In December 1895, in Holyoke, Massachusetts (United States), William G. Morgan, a YMCA physical education director, created a new game called "Mintonette", a name derived from the game of badminton, as a pastime to be played (preferably) indoors and by any number of players. The game took some of its characteristics from other sports such as baseball, tennis and handball. Another indoor sport, basketball, was catching on in the area, having been invented just ten miles (sixteen kilometres) away in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, only four years before. Mintonette was designed to be an indoor sport, less rough than basketball, for older members of the YMCA, while still requiring a bit of athletic effort.


title: Volleyball

text: The first rules, written down by William G. Morgan, called for a net high, a court, and any number of players. A match was composed of nine innings with three serves for each team in each inning, and no limit to the number of ball contacts for each team before sending the ball to the opponents' court. In case of a serving error, a second try was allowed. Hitting the ball into the net was considered a foul (with loss of the point or a side-out)—except in the case of the first-try serve.


title: Volleyball

text: After an observer, Alfred Halstead, noticed the volleying nature of the game at its first exhibition match in 1896, played at the International YMCA Training School (now called Springfield College), the game quickly became known as "volleyball" (it was originally spelled as two words: ""volley ball"). Volleyball rules were slightly modified by the International YMCA Training School and the game spread around the country to various YMCAs.


title: Volleyball

text: In the early 1900s Spalding, through its publishing company American Sports Publishing Company, produced books with complete instruction and rules for the sport.


title: Volleyball

text: The first official ball used in volleyball is disputed; some sources say Spalding created the first official ball in 1896, while others claim it was created in 1900. The rules evolved over time: in 1916, in the Philippines, the skill and power of the set and spike had been introduced, and four years later a "three hits" rule and a rule against hitting from the back row were established. In 1917, the game was changed from requiring 21 points to win to a smaller 15 points to win. In 1919, about 16,000 volleyballs were distributed by the American Expeditionary Forces to their troops and allies, which sparked the growth of volleyball in new countries.


title: Volleyball

text: The first country outside the United States to adopt volleyball was Canada in 1900. An international federation, the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), was founded in 1947, and the first World Championships were held in 1949 for men and 1952 for women. The sport is now popular in Brazil, in Europe (where especially Italy, the Netherlands, and countries from Eastern Europe have been major forces since the late 1980s), in Russia, and in other countries including China and the rest of Asia, as well as in the United States.


title: Volleyball

text: Beach volleyball, a variation of the game played on sand and with only two players per team, became a FIVB-endorsed variation in 1987 and was added to the Olympic program at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Volleyball is also a sport at the Paralympics managed by the World Organization Volleyball for Disabled.


title: Volleyball

text: Nudists were early adopters of the game with regular organized play in clubs as early as the late 1920s. By the 1960s, a volleyball court had become standard in almost all nudist/naturist clubs.


title: Volleyball

text: Volleyball has been part of the Summer Olympics program for both men and women consistently since 1964.


title: Volleyball

text: A volleyball court is , divided into equal square halves by a net with a width of . The top of the net is above the center of the court for men's competition, and for women's competition, varied for veterans and junior competitions.


title: Volleyball

text: The minimum height clearance for indoor volleyball courts is , although a clearance of is recommended.


title: Volleyball

text: A line from and parallel to the net is considered the "attack line". This "3 meter" (or "10-foot") line divides the court into "back row" and "front row" areas (also back court and front court). These are in turn divided into 3 areas each: these are numbered as follows, starting from area "1", which is the position of the serving player:


title: Volleyball

text: After a team gains the serve (also known as siding out), its members must rotate in a clockwise direction, with the player previously in area "2" moving to area "1" and so on, with the player from area "1" moving to area "6". Each player rotates only one time after the team gains possession of the service; the next time each player rotates will be after the other team wins possession of the ball and loses the point.


title: Volleyball

text: The team courts are surrounded by an area called the free zone which is a minimum of 3 meters wide and which the players may enter and play within after the service of the ball. All lines denoting the boundaries of the team court and the attack zone are drawn or painted within the dimensions of the area and are therefore a part of the court or zone. If a ball comes in contact with the line, the ball is considered to be "in". An antenna is placed on each side of the net perpendicular to the sideline and is a vertical extension of the side boundary of the court. A ball passing over the net must pass completely between the antennae (or their theoretical extensions to the ceiling) without contacting them.


title: Volleyball

text: FIVB regulations state that the ball must be spherical, made of leather or synthetic leather, have a circumference of , a weight of and an interior air pressure of 0.30–0.325 kg/cm (4.26 to 4.61 psi)(294.3


title: Volleyball

text: Each team consists of six players. To get play started, a team is chosen to serve by coin toss. A player from the serving team throws the ball into the air and attempts to hit the ball so it passes over the net on a course such that it will land in the opposing team's court (the "serve"). The opposing team must use a combination of no more than three contacts with the volleyball to return the ball to the opponent's side of the net. These contacts usually consist first of the "bump" or "pass" so that the ball's trajectory is aimed towards the player designated as the "setter"; second of the "set" (usually an over-hand pass using wrists to push finger-tips at the ball) by the setter so that the ball's trajectory is aimed towards a spot where one of the players designated as an "attacker" can hit it, and third by the "attacker" who "spikes" (jumping, raising one arm above the head and hitting the ball so it will move quickly down to the ground on the opponent's court) to return the ball over the net. The team with possession of the ball that is trying to attack the ball as described is said to be on "offence".


title: Volleyball

text: The team on "defence" attempts to prevent the attacker from directing the ball into their court: players at the net jump and reach above the top (and if possible, across the plane) of the net to "block" the attacked ball. If the ball is hit around, above, or through the block, the defensive players arranged in the rest of the court attempt to control the ball with a "dig" (usually a fore-arm pass of a hard-driven ball). After a successful dig, the team transitions to offence.


title: Volleyball

text: The game continues in this manner, rallying back and forth until the ball touches the court within the boundaries or until an error is made. The most frequent errors that are made are either to fail to return the ball over the net within the allowed three touches, or to cause the ball to land outside the court. A ball is "in" if any part of it touches the inside of a team's court or a sideline or end-line, and a strong spike may compress the ball enough when it lands that a ball which at first appears to be going out may actually be in. Players may travel well outside the court to play a ball that has gone over a sideline or end-line in the air.


title: Volleyball

text: Other common errors include a player touching the ball twice in succession, a player "catching" the ball, a player touching the net while attempting to play the ball, or a player penetrating under the net into the opponent's court. There are a large number of other errors specified in the rules, although most of them are infrequent occurrences. These errors include back-row or libero players spiking the ball or blocking (back-row players may spike the ball if they jump from behind the attack line), players not being in the correct position when the ball is served, attacking the serve in the frontcourt and above the height of the net, using another player as a source of support to reach the ball, stepping over the back boundary line when serving, taking more than 8 seconds to serve, or playing the ball when it is above the opponent's court.


title: Volleyball

text: A point is scored when the ball contacts the floor within the court boundaries or when an error is made: when the ball strikes one team's side of the court, the other team gains a point; and when an error is made, the team that did not make the error is awarded a point, in either case paying no regard to whether they served the ball or not. If any part of the ball hits the line, the ball is counted as in the court. The team that won the point serves for the next point. If the team that won the point served in the previous point, the same player serves again. If the team that won the point did not serve the previous point, the players of the team acquiring the serve rotate their position on the court in a clockwise manner. The game continues, with the first team to score 25 points by a two-point margin awarded the set. Matches are best-of-five sets and the fifth set, if necessary, is usually played to 15 points. (Scoring differs between leagues, tournaments, and levels; high schools sometimes play best-of-three to 25; in the NCAA matches are played best-of-five to 25 as of the 2008 season.)


title: Volleyball

text: Before 1999, points could be scored only when a team had the serve ("side-out scoring") and all sets went up to only 15 points. The FIVB changed the rules in 1999 (with the changes being compulsory in 2000) to use the current scoring system (formerly known as "rally point system"), primarily to make the length of the match more predictable and to make the game more spectator- and television-friendly.


title: Volleyball

text: The final year of side-out scoring at the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship was 2000. Rally point scoring debuted in 2001, and games were played to 30 points through 2007. For the 2008 season, games were renamed "sets" and reduced to 25 points to win. Most high schools in the U.S. changed to rally scoring in 2003, and several states implemented it the previous year on an experimental basis.


title: Volleyball

text: The libero player was introduced internationally in 1998, and made its debut for NCAA competition in 2002. The libero is a player specialized in defensive skills: the libero must wear a contrasting jersey color from their teammates and cannot block or attack the ball when it is entirely above net height. When the ball is not in play, the libero can replace any back-row player, without prior notice to the officials. This replacement does not count against the substitution limit each team is allowed per set, although the libero may be replaced only by the player whom he or she replaced. Most U.S. high schools added the libero position from 2003 to 2005.


title: Volleyball

text: The modern-day libero often takes on the role of a second setter. When the setter digs the ball, the libero is typically responsible for the second ball and sets to the front row attacker. The libero may function as a setter only under certain restrictions. To make an overhand set, the libero must be standing behind (and not stepping on) the 3-meter line; otherwise, the ball cannot be attacked above the net in front of the 3-meter line. An underhand pass is allowed from any part of the court.


title: Volleyball

text: The libero is, generally, the most skilled defensive player on the team. There is also a libero tracking sheet, where the referees or officiating team must keep track of whom the libero subs in and out for. Under FIVB (Federation Internationale de Volleyball) rules, two liberos are designated at the beginning of the play, only one of whom can be on the court at any time.


title: Volleyball

text: Furthermore, a libero is not allowed to serve, according to international rules. NCAA rules for both men and women differ on this point; a 2004 rule change allows the libero to serve, but only in a specific rotation. That is, the libero can only serve for one person, not for all of the people for whom he or she goes in. That rule change was also applied to high school and junior high play soon after.


title: Volleyball

text: Other rule changes enacted in 2000 include allowing serves in which the ball touches the net, as long as it goes over the net into the opponents' court. Also, the service area was expanded to allow players to serve from anywhere behind the end line but still within the theoretical extension of the sidelines. Other changes were made to lighten up calls on faults for carries and double-touches, such as allowing multiple contacts by a single player ("double-hits") on a team's first contact provided that they are a part of a single play on the ball.


title: Volleyball

text: In 2008, the NCAA changed the minimum number of points needed to win any of the first four sets from 30 to 25 for women's volleyball (men's volleyball remained at 30 for another three years, switching to 25 in 2011). If a fifth (deciding) set is reached, the minimum required score remains at 15. In addition, the word "game" is now referred to as "set".


title: Volleyball

text: The "Official Volleyball Rules" are prepared and updated every few years by the FIVB's Rules of the Game and Refereeing Commission. The latest edition is usually available on the FIVB's website.


title: Volleyball

text: Competitive teams master six basic skills: serve, pass, set, attack, block and dig. Each of these skills comprises a number of specific techniques that have been introduced over the years and are now considered standard practice in high-level volleyball.


title: Volleyball

text: A player stands behind the inline and serves the ball, in an attempt to drive it into the opponent's court. The main objective is to make it land inside the court; it is also desirable to set the ball's direction, speed and acceleration so that it becomes difficult for the receiver to handle it properly. A serve is called an "ace" when the ball lands directly onto the court or travels outside the court after being touched by an opponent; when the only player on the server's team to touch the ball is the server.


title: Volleyball

text: Also called reception, the pass is the attempt by a team to properly handle the opponent's serve or any form of attack. Proper handling includes not only preventing the ball from touching the court but also making it reach the position where the setter is standing quickly and precisely.


title: Volleyball

text: The skill of passing involves fundamentally two specific techniques: underarm pass, or bump, where the ball touches the inside part of the joined forearms or platform, at waistline; and overhand pass, where it is handled with the fingertips, like a set, above the head. Either are acceptable in professional and beach volleyball; however, there are much tighter regulations on the overhand pass in beach volleyball. When a player passes a ball to their setter, it's ideal that the ball does not have a lot of spin to make it easier for the setter.


title: Volleyball

text: The set is usually the second contact that a team makes with the ball. The main goal of setting is to put the ball in the air in such a way that it can be driven by an attack into the opponent's court. The setter coordinates the offensive movements of a team, and is the player who ultimately decides which player will actually attack the ball.


title: Volleyball

text: As with passing, one may distinguish between an overhand and a bump set. Since the former allows for more control over the speed and direction of the ball, the bump is used only when the ball is so low it cannot be properly handled with fingertips, or in beach volleyball where rules regulating overhand setting are more stringent. In the case of a set, one also speaks of a front or back set, meaning whether the ball is passed in the direction the setter is facing or behind the setter. There is also a jump set that is used when the ball is too close to the net. In this case, the setter usually jumps off their right foot straight up to avoid going into the net. The setter usually stands about ⅔ of the way from the left to the right of the net and faces the left (the larger portion of net that the setter can see).


title: Volleyball

text: Sometimes a setter refrains from raising the ball for a teammate to perform an attack and tries to play it directly onto the opponent's court. This movement is called a "dump". This can only be performed when the setter is in the front row, otherwise it constitutes an illegal back court attack. The most common dumps are to 'throw' the ball behind the setter or in front of the setter to zones 2 and 4. More experienced setters toss the ball into the deep corners or spike the ball on the second hit.


title: Volleyball

text: As with a set or an overhand pass, the setter/passer must be careful to touch the ball with both hands at the same time. If one hand is noticeably late to touch the ball this could result in a less effective set, as well as the referee calling a 'double hit' and giving the point to the opposing team.


title: Volleyball

text: The attack, also known as the "spike", is usually the third contact a team makes with the ball. The object of attacking is to handle the ball so that it lands on the opponent's court and cannot be defended. A player makes a series of steps (the "approach"), jumps, and swings at the ball.


title: Volleyball

text: Ideally, the contact with the ball is made at the apex of the hitter's jump. At the moment of contact, the hitter's arm is fully extended above their head and slightly forward, making the highest possible contact while maintaining the ability to deliver a powerful hit. The hitter uses arm swing, wrist snap, and a rapid forward contraction of the entire body to drive the ball. A 'bounce' is a slang term for a very hard/loud spike that follows an almost straight trajectory steeply downward into the opponent's court and bounces very high into the air. A "kill" is the slang term for an attack that is not returned by the other team thus resulting in a point.


title: Volleyball

text: Blocking refers to the actions taken by players standing at the net to stop or alter an opponent's attack.


title: Volleyball

text: A block that is aimed at completely stopping an attack, thus making the ball remain in the opponent's court, is called offensive. A well-executed offensive block is performed by jumping and reaching to penetrate with one's arms and hands over the net and into the opponent's area. It requires anticipating the direction the ball will go once the attack takes place. It may also require calculating the best footwork to executing the "perfect" block.


title: Volleyball

text: The jump should be timed so as to intercept the ball's trajectory prior to it crossing over the plane of the net. Palms are held deflected downward roughly 45–60 degrees toward the interior of the opponents' court. A "roof" is a spectacular offensive block that redirects the power and speed of the attack straight down to the attacker's floor as if the attacker hit the ball into the underside of a peaked house roof.


title: Volleyball

text: By contrast, it is called a defensive, or "soft" block if the goal is to control and deflect the hard-driven ball up so that it slows down and becomes easier to defend. A well-executed soft-block is performed by jumping and placing one's hands above the net with no penetration into the opponent's court and with the palms up and fingers pointing backwards.


title: Volleyball

text: Blocking is also classified according to the number of players involved. Thus, one may speak of single (or solo), double, or triple block.


title: Volleyball

text: Successful blocking does not always result in a "roof" and many times does not even touch the ball. While it is obvious that a block was a success when the attacker is roofed, a block that consistently forces the attacker away from their 'power' or preferred attack into a more easily controlled shot by the defence is also a highly successful block.


title: Volleyball

text: At the same time, the block position influences the positions where other defenders place themselves while opponent hitters are spiking.


title: Volleyball

text: Digging is the ability to prevent the ball from touching one's court after a spike or attack, particularly a ball that is nearly touching the ground. In many aspects, this skill is similar to passing, or bumping: overhand dig and bump are also used to distinguish between defensive actions taken with fingertips or with joined arms. It varies from passing however in that is it a much more reflex based skill, especially at the higher levels. It is especially important while digging for players to stay on their toes; several players choose to employ a split step to make sure they're ready to move in any direction.


title: Volleyball

text: Some specific techniques are more common in digging than in passing. A player may sometimes perform a "dive", i.e., throw their body in the air with a forward movement in an attempt to save the ball, and land on their chest. When the player also slides their hand under a ball that is almost touching the court, this is called a "pancake". The pancake is frequently used in indoor volleyball, but rarely if ever in beach volleyball because the uneven and yielding nature of the sand court limits the chances that the ball will make good, clean contact with the hand. When used correctly, it is one of the more spectacular defensive volleyball plays.


title: Volleyball

text: Sometimes a player may also be forced to drop their body quickly to the floor to save the ball. In this situation, the player makes use of a specific rolling technique to minimize the chances of injuries.


title: Volleyball

text: Volleyball is essentially a game of transition from one of the above skills to the next, with choreographed team movement between plays on the ball. These team movements are determined by the teams chosen serve receive system, offensive system, coverage system, and defensive system.


title: Volleyball

text: The serve-receive system is the formation used by the receiving team to attempt to pass the ball to the designated setter. Systems can consist of 5 receivers, 4 receivers, 3 receivers, and in some cases 2 receivers. The most popular formation at higher levels is a 3 receiver formation consisting of two left sides and a libero receiving every rotation. This allows middles and right sides to become more specialized at hitting and blocking.


title: Volleyball

text: Offensive systems are the formations used by the offence to attempt to ground the ball into the opposing court (or otherwise score points). Formations often include designated player positions with skill specialization (see "Player specialization", below). Popular formations include the 4–2, 6–2, and 5-1 systems (see "Formations", below). There are also several different attacking schemes teams can use to keep the opposing defence off balance.


title: Volleyball

text: Coverage systems are the formations used by the offence to protect their court in the case of a blocked attack. Executed by the 5 offensive players not directly attacking the ball, players move to assigned positions around the attacker to dig up any ball that deflects off the block back into their own court. Popular formations include the 2-3 system and the 1-2-2 system. In lieu of a system, some teams just use a random coverage with the players nearest the hitter.


title: Volleyball

text: Defensive systems are the formations used by the defence to protect against the ball being grounded into their court by the opposing team. The system will outline which players are responsible for which areas of the court depending on where the opposing team is attacking from. Popular systems include the 6-Up, 6-Back-Deep, and 6-Back-Slide defence. There are also several different blocking schemes teams can employ to disrupt the opposing teams' offence.


title: Volleyball

text: When one player is ready to serve, some teams will line up their other five players in a screen to obscure the view of the receiving team. This action is only illegal if the server makes use of the screen, so the call is made at the referee's discretion as to the impact the screen made on the receiving team's ability to pass the ball. The most common style of screening involves a W formation designed to take up as much horizontal space as possible.


title: Volleyball

text: There are five positions filled on every volleyball team at the elite level. Setter, Outside Hitter/Left Side Hitter, Middle Hitter, Opposite Hitter/Right Side Hitter and Libero/Defensive Specialist. Each of these positions plays a specific, key role in winning a volleyball match.


title: Volleyball

text: At some levels where substitutions are unlimited, teams will make use of a Defensive Specialist in place of or in addition to a Libero. This position does not have unique rules like the libero position, instead, these players are used to substitute out a poor back row defender using regular substitution rules. A defensive specialist is often used if you have a particularly poor back court defender in right side or left side, but your team is already using a libero to take out your middles. Most often, the situation involves a team using a right side player with a big block who must be subbed out in the back row because they aren't able to effectively play backcourt defence. Similarly, teams might use a Serving Specialist to sub out a poor server.


title: Volleyball

text: The three standard volleyball formations are known as "4–2", "6–2" and "5–1", which refers to the number of hitters and setters respectively. 4–2 is a basic formation used only in beginners' play, while 5–1 is by far the most common formation in high-level play.


title: Volleyball

text: The 4–2 formation has four hitters and two setters. The setters usually set from the middle front or right front position. The team will, therefore, have two front-row attackers at all times. In the international 4–2, the setters set from the right front position. The international 4–2 translates more easily into other forms of offence.


title: Volleyball

text: The setters line up opposite each other in the rotation. The typical lineup has two outside hitters. By aligning like positions opposite themselves in the rotation, there will always be one of each position in the front and back rows. After service, the players in the front row move into their assigned positions, so that the setter is always in the middle front. Alternatively, the setter moves into the right front and has both a middle and an outside attacker; the disadvantage here lies in the lack of an offside hitter, allowing one of the other team's blockers to "cheat in" on a middle block.


title: Volleyball

text: The clear disadvantage to this offensive formation is that there are only two attackers, leaving a team with fewer offensive weapons.


title: Volleyball

text: Another aspect is to see the setter as an attacking force, albeit a weakened force, because when the setter is in the frontcourt they are able to 'tip' or 'dump', so when the ball is close to the net on the second touch, the setter may opt to hit the ball over with one hand. This means that the blocker who would otherwise not have to block the setter is engaged and may allow one of the hitters to have an easier attack.


title: Volleyball

text: In the 6–2 formation, a player always comes forward from the back row to set. The three front row players are all in attacking positions. Thus, all six players act as hitters at one time or another, while two can act as setters. So the 6–2 formation is actually a 4–2 system, but the back-row setter penetrates to set.


title: Volleyball

text: The 6–2 lineup thus requires two setters, who line up opposite to each other in the rotation. In addition to the setters, a typical lineup will have two middle hitters and two outside hitters. By aligning like positions opposite themselves in the rotation, there will always be one of each position in the front and back rows. After service, the players in the front row move into their assigned positions.


title: Volleyball

text: The advantage of the 6–2 is that there are always three front-row hitters available, maximizing the offensive possibilities. However, not only does the 6–2 require a team to possess two people capable of performing the highly specialized role of setter, it also requires both of those players to be effective offensive hitters when not in the setter position. At the international level, only the Cuban National Women's Team employs this kind of formation. It is also used by NCAA teams in Division III men's play and women's play in all divisions, partially due to the variant rules used which allow more substitutions per set than the 6 allowed in the standard rules—12 in matches involving two Division III men's teams and 15 for all women's play.


title: Volleyball

text: The 5–1 formation has only one player who assumes setting responsibilities regardless of their position in the rotation. The team will, therefore, have three front-row attackers when the setter is in the back row and only two when the setter is in the front row, for a total of five possible attackers.


title: Volleyball

text: The player opposite the setter in a 5–1 rotation is called the "opposite hitter". In general, opposite hitters do not pass; they stand behind their teammates when the opponent is serving. The opposite hitter may be used as a third attack option (back-row attack) when the setter is in the front row: this is the normal option used to increase the attack capabilities of modern volleyball teams. Normally the opposite hitter is the most technically skilled hitter of the team. Back-row attacks generally come from the back-right position, known as zone 1, but are increasingly performed from back-centre in high-level play.


title: Volleyball

text: The big advantage of this system is that the setter always has 3 hitters to vary sets with. If the setter does this well, the opponent's middle blocker may not have enough time to block with the outside blocker, increasing the chance for the attacking team to make a point.


title: Volleyball

text: There is another advantage, the same as that of a 4–2 formation: as a front-row player, the setter is allowed to jump and "dump" the ball onto the opponent's side. This too can confuse the opponent's blocking players: the setter can jump and dump or can set to one of the hitters. A good setter knows this and thus won't only jump to dump or to set for a quick hit, but when setting outside as well to confuse the opponent.


title: Volleyball

text: The 5–1 offence is actually a mix of 6–2 and 4–2: when the setter is in the front row, the offense looks like a 4–2; when the setter is in the back row, the offense looks like a 6–2.


title: Volleyball

text: In 2017, a new volleyball players' union was formed in response to dissatisfaction with the organization and structure of professional beach volleyball tournaments. The union is named the International Beach Volleyball Players Association, and it consists of almost 100 professional players. The IBVPA claims its goal is to help athletes and provide them with the means to enjoy playing volleyball by improving the way the sport is run.


title: Volleyball

text: Another controversy within the sport is the issue of the inclusion of transgender players. With transgender athletes such as Tiffany Abreu joining professional volleyball teams alongside other non-transgender teammates, many professionals, sports analysts, and fans of volleyball are either expressing concerns about the legitimacy and fairness of having transgender players on a team or expressing support for the transgender people's efforts.


title: Volleyball

text: There are many variations on the basic rules of volleyball. By far the most popular of these is beach volleyball, which is played on sand with two people per team, and rivals the main sport in popularity.


title: Pat McAfee

text: Patrick Justin McAfee ( ; born May 2, 1987) is an American sports analyst, stand-up comedian, professional wrestling color commentator, professional wrestler and former football punter and kickoff specialist. McAfee is an analyst on ESPN's "College GameDay", a television program covering college football. He is signed to WWE, where he performs and serves as a color commentator for the SmackDown brand, but has taken a hiatus to focus on his work at ESPN. He will return to WWE when College GameDay coverage has ended.


title: Pat McAfee

text: He was a placekicker at West Virginia and drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft and played in the Super Bowl his rookie year in a loss to the New Orleans Saints. Over his eight-year career in the National Football League (NFL), McAfee made two Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro in 2014.


title: Pat McAfee

text: Since his retirement from football in February 2017, McAfee has been a football analyst. He was a guest host for Fox Sports' college and NFL broadcasts in late 2018, before being announced as part of ESPN's "Thursday Night College Football" team in July 2019. In addition, he makes regular appearances for "Get Up!". He currently presents "The Pat McAfee Show" on YouTube, as well as a College Gameday Analyst.


title: Pat McAfee

text: McAfee served as a guest commentator for WWE's NXT TakeOver events in 2018, before signing a contract with the promotion in February 2019. During 2020, he feuded with Adam Cole, making his WWE NXT in-ring debut at TakeOver XXX in a loss to Cole.


title: Pat McAfee

text: McAfee was born to Tim and Sally McAfee on May 2, 1987, in Plum, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He attended Plum High School, playing soccer, volleyball and football; and received collegiate interest for all three. As a senior, he borrowed $100 from a friend and played poker at an illegal club, turning it into $1,400. He used the funds to finance a trip to Miami to participate in the final day of a national competition highlighting the best field goal kicking prospects in America. McAfee made nine consecutive field goals, starting at 25 yards and moving five yards out each time. He narrowly missed a 70-yard field goal, with the ball missing to the right but with enough distance to make it. After returning home, he was approached in the school's lunchroom by Tony Gibson, West Virginia's recruiting coordinator, who offered him a scholarship.


title: Pat McAfee

text: McAfee earned the starting job at West Virginia as a freshman. He was 11-for-18 as a freshman on field goals, and had 70 kickoffs for the season, with 20 touchbacks. McAfee's most memorable moment came against Louisville in a 46–44 triple-overtime win, which was reached after a successful McAfee onside kick. The onside kick gave running back Steve Slaton the chance to tie the game with a one-yard touchdown run.


title: Pat McAfee

text: Although they had losses to Louisville and USF, the Mountaineers won 10 games and were victors in the Gator Bowl over Georgia Tech.


title: Pat McAfee

text: McAfee started his junior season with a missed extra point against Western Michigan, ending his streak of 106 consecutive extra points. He finished the season in the Fiesta Bowl with a 2-for-4 performance, having one kick blocked by Oklahoma. He was named to the ESPN All-Bowl Team following the bowl season.


title: Pat McAfee

text: McAfee missed two relatively short field goals in WVU's 13–9 loss to a Pitt Panthers team with only four wins; ultimately taking the Mountaineers out of the BCS National Championship Game. He was named to the 2007 Lou Groza Award semi-finalist list for the best collegiate kicker. McAfee earned Big East Special Team Player of the week honors three times in 2007 and was named second-team All-Big East. He earned West Virginia's Scott Shirley Award for the second consecutive year.


title: Pat McAfee

text: McAfee began his senior year in a 48–21 season-opening victory over Villanova in which he kicked two field goals, including a career-long of 52-yards, six extra points, and two punts. In the following 27–3 win over Marshall, McAfee became the school record holder for all-time scoring with a field goal, passing Slaton. He went two for two on-field goals to move to third place for the Big East record of career field goals made in a 34–17 victory over Auburn.


title: Pat McAfee

text: Against Cincinnati on November 8, the Mountaineers trailed by 13 points with 1:11 left in regulation, but reduced the deficit to 3 points with a safety, touchdown, and two-point conversion, all in less than a minute. McAfee's onside kick was recovered with 18 seconds remaining. He then tied the game as time expired with a 52-yard field goal, but the Mountaineers would lose in overtime.


title: Pat McAfee

text: McAfee finished his senior year with a career-best 44.7 yards per punt average, a Big East-leading 23 punts inside the 20-yard line, and a career-high 2,639 yards with a 65-yard long. He was named a finalist for the Ray Guy Award losing out to Matt Fodge.


title: Pat McAfee

text: After his senior season at WVU, McAfee was invited to the 2009 Senior Bowl in Alabama, joining Mountaineers Pat White and Ellis Lankster. He started the Senior Bowl as the South team's kicker. McAfee performed in the 11th annual State Farm College Football All-Star Challenge, winning the "round the world" kicking competition. As he was not invited to the NFL Combine, he had team workouts with the Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots, all as a kicker.


title: Pat McAfee

text: McAfee was drafted in the seventh round with the 222nd overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. McAfee was signed before training camp. He handled punting and kick-off duties for the Colts in 2009, as well as holding for extra points and field goals, a position he had never played before. In 2009, McAfee was part of the Indianapolis team that won the AFC South, the AFC Championship, and reached Super Bowl XLIV. McAfee kicked off the game and handled kickoff and punt duties in the 31–17 loss to the New Orleans Saints. As a result of a successful 2009 season, he was named to the 2009 NFL All-Rookie Team.


title: Pat McAfee

text: McAfee maintained a 46.6-yard punting average for the 2011 regular season, a mark he would better the following season by posting a 48.2-yard average on punts.


title: Pat McAfee

text: On January 4, 2014, McAfee tweeted a photo with Colts teammate Andrew Luck in the background, almost completely nude. McAfee, who was taking a picture of kicker Adam Vinatieri being interviewed in the locker room, apologized for the incident and was fined $10,000 by the Colts organization, according to his interview with "The Bob & Tom Show". On March 7, McAfee announced he had signed a five-year contract to remain with the Colts.


title: Pat McAfee

text: McAfee was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September 2014. He led the NFL in punting average (45.6 yards) and touchbacks on kickoff (24), and converted the NFL's only two successful onside kicks in the first four weeks of the season. In Week 6, against the Houston Texans, McAfee converted his third onside kick of the season, recovering the ball himself after it traveled the necessary 10 yards. On December 23, 2014, McAfee was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl, and on January 2, 2015, he was selected by the Associated Press as the First Team All-Pro punter.


title: Pat McAfee

text: In Week 3 of the 2015 season, McAfee earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week against the Tennessee Titans.


title: Pat McAfee

text: On February 2, 2017, after eight seasons, McAfee retired from the NFL and stated he intended to join Barstool Sports as a contributor. He cited his recent knee operation (his third in four seasons) as a factor in his decision, as well as his fractured relationship with Colts' general manager Ryan Grigson.


title: Pat McAfee

text: During the 2020 NFL season, despite being out of the NFL for four years, fans began making a push for McAfee to come out of retirement to play for his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers, who struggled with their punting during the season. McAfee himself added to the rumors by immediately tweeting a video of him punting after the Steelers released Dustin Colquitt without immediately signing a replacement. The team ended up re-signing Jordan Berry, who had been the team's punter for five years prior to the signing of Colquitt.


title: Pat McAfee

text: Following his retirement from football at the close of the 2016 season, McAfee joined Barstool Sports, where he developed the "Heartland" division of the company in Indianapolis and hosted "The Pat McAfee Show" on SiriusXM channel Barstool Power 85. McAfee announced his separation from Barstool Sports on August 31, 2018, citing a lack of transparency with the business operations of the company as his reason for leaving.


title: Pat McAfee

text: Upon departing from Barstool Sports in 2018, McAfee incorporated a small business, Pat McAfee Inc. (PMI), from his original office in Indianapolis. PMI continued to operate McAfee's charity, The Pat McAfee Foundation, and began selling merchandise. At first, PMI produced four podcasts, "The Pat McAfee Show 2.0", "That's Hockey Talk", "Heartland Radio 2.0", and "Good Bettor Bets". The former two are still in operation as of 2021, with "The Pat McAfee Show 2.0" re-running clips from his daily show on Sirius XM, while "That's Hockey Talk" was originally co-hosted by former NFL center A. Q. Shipley, but Shipley was replaced by former NHL player Mike Rupp in 2021. "Heartland Radio 2.0" evolved into "The Pod" after the departure of former host, Todd McComas, while PMI's gambling podcast, "Good Bettor Bets", re-branded into "Hammer Dahn" with the addition of former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi as a guest co-host.


title: Pat McAfee

text: On August 7, 2019, it was reported that McAfee would begin to host a two-hour, weekday radio show, "The Pat McAfee Show", beginning September 9, 2019, syndicated by DAZN and Westwood One. The deal with DAZN also includes McAfee streaming his podcast on the service three times per week, and appearances in NFL-related shoulder content in regions where DAZN holds streaming rights to the league (primarily Canada and Germany). They parted ways in August 2020 due to McAfee's disdain for FCC regulations on terrestrial radio.


title: Pat McAfee

text: In September 2020, "The Pat McAfee Show" moved to Sirius XM's Mad Dog Sports Radio from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM on weekdays. The show is also broadcast live on YouTube. Former NFL linebacker, and consistent collaborator, A. J. Hawk co-hosts the second and third hour of the show with McAfee. McAfee's former teammate Darius Butler co-hosts the show on Fridays when it is broadcast from Tampa, FL. During the NFL season, McAfee frequently hosts Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on his program. Sirius XM stopped airing the show in August 2022.


title: Pat McAfee

text: In March 2021, PMI brought back "The Best Wrestling Show", formerly known as "Wrasslin' With Sports Entertainment", a wrestling podcast that had aired one episode in 2019. It is hosted by former WWE employee and PMI executive producer, Mike Mansury, and Pittsburgh-based radio commentator & former World Championship Wrestling commentator Mark Madden. . The podcast was short-lived, as Mansury left PMI to focus on independent work in May of the same year, and the low viewership numbers caused by Madden.


title: Pat McAfee

text: In 2021, McAfee announced plans to move the base of operations for PMI to a former United Methodist Church in Lawrence, Indiana.


title: Pat McAfee

text: On December 9, 2021, McAfee announced a 4-year, $120 million deal with FanDuel, making them the sole odds provider for the Pat McAfee Show.


title: Pat McAfee

text: On November 24, 2018, McAfee made his college football broadcasting debut on Fox, calling a college football game between Baylor and Texas Tech. On December 30, McAfee made his NFL broadcasting debut on Fox, joining Justin Kutcher, Robert Smith, and sideline reporter Sarah Kustok for the Lions–Packers game.


title: Pat McAfee

text: On July 29, 2019, Adam Schefter announced via Twitter that McAfee would be joining ESPN as the color analyst for their "Thursday Night College Football" broadcasts, alongside Matt Hasselbeck. The news came after McAfee had auditioned for on ESPN's "Monday Night Football" after Jason Witten's return to the Cowboys, though ESPN decided to retain its booth as-is. In the same year, McAfee began making regular appearances on "Get Up!" and "College GameDay", after appearing on the latter show as a celebrity guest picker.


title: Pat McAfee

text: In September 2022, it was announced that McAfee would be returning to ESPN. He serves as a full-time analyst on "College Gameday". He will also serve as an analyst for ESPN's coverage of the Rose Bowl, the College Football Playoff, the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl. McAfee is also a part of Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions college football alternate telecasts on ESPN2. He has appeared as a guest twice on "Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli".


title: Pat McAfee

text: In 2016, McAfee performed in stand-up events around Indiana. McAfee was a regular on the nationally syndicated morning radio program "The Bob & Tom Show", itself based in Indianapolis. He has described co-host Bob Kevoian as one of his best friends during an interview on the "Off the Air Podcast" hosted by sports commentator Chick McGee. In 2018, McAfee made his professional baseball debut for the Washington Wild Things as a right-fielder and guest first base coach. He made a putout in the outfield and went 0–3 at the plate, reaching second base on a throwing error before being replaced with a pinch runner.


title: Pat McAfee

text: McAfee is a co-host on the sports gambling podcast "Hammer Dahn", which is produced by his business, Pat McAfee Inc. He makes occasional appearances on PMI's other podcasts, "The Pod" and "That's Hockey Talk".


title: Pat McAfee

text: A month before the NFL Draft on March 22, 2009, McAfee was involved in a match against The WarPig at an IWA East Coast show in South Charleston, West Virginia. WarPig controlled much of the match but, McAfee hit him with a low blow and a superkick, securing an upset victory. Nine years later, in March 2018, McAfee was present at an NXT show in Indianapolis, where he prevented Adam Cole from winning by disqualification in his match against Aleister Black. Instead, McAfee's distraction gave Black enough time to recover and hit Cole with his finisher, Black Mass.


title: Pat McAfee

text: In June 2017, McAfee briefly trained as a professional wrestler with Rip Rogers, which was filmed for Barstool Sports.


title: Pat McAfee

text: During 2018, McAfee began appearing on WWE programming as a pre-show analyst for the company's NXT TakeOver events, beginning with , where he continued his mini-feud with Adam Cole. He later appeared at , and . In December, it was reported that he had formally signed a multi-year contract with WWE, and officially signed the contract in February 2019. He then began hosting live watch-along of WWE's pay-per-views on YouTube, beginning with Fastlane, alongside a number of WWE wrestlers. In the buildup to WrestleMania, McAfee, his crew and various special guests travelled venue to venue in an RV, that his friend Zito got stuck under an awning at MetLife Stadium, which was filmed for "Pat McAfee's Road to WrestleMania". Backstage at the event, McAfee got into an argument with Michael Cole, when Cole had criticized him for wearing tuxedo shorts. McAfee threatened to quit on the spot and was sent to another room while the situation was dealt with. After Vince McMahon was shown an image of LeBron James at the 2018 NBA Finals, and that the outfit was similar to the one McAfee was wearing for WrestleMania, McMahon approved and McAfee was allowed to co-host the second hour of the pre-show, alongside Charly Caruso.


title: Pat McAfee

text: McAfee made a guest appearance on the November 1 episode of "SmackDown", as part of an on-air staff filling in for Cole and Graves (who were not able to make it back from Crown Jewel on time), where McAfee fully supported NXT's invasion of the show, and ultimately stormed the ring alongside the rest of the "NXT" roster at the end of the broadcast as they declared war on both Raw and SmackDown.


title: Pat McAfee

text: On July 23, 2020, Adam Cole was a special guest on McAfee's radio show. He appeared after the show ended on radio, with the interview being a YouTube exclusive. The interview took a turn when McAfee laughed at Cole, when he declared himself the "king of NXT". Cole also got frustrated with McAfee constantly interrupting him, and inferring that his 403-day title reign would not have happened without the Undisputed Era, who McAfee considered more talented than him. When McAfee mocked his height, Cole cursed him out, broke his recording equipment, pushed his producer and friend, Ty Schmit, and stormed out. On July 27, after Cole had made a public apology, Triple H appeared on the show, and invited him to come to an episode of "NXT" to talk things out with Cole. On the August 5 episode of "NXT", McAfee arrived and was shown to have made up with Cole, and later acted as a guest commentator for a tag team title match between The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly) and Imperium (Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner). Cole noticed him at the commentary table and after again being mocked for his height, threw water in McAfee's face. The distraction was enough for Barthel and Aichner to take advantage, hitting Fish with a "European Bomb" (Doomsday uppercut) and the pin to retain the NXT Tag Team Championship. A post-match confrontation between the two men, resulted in McAfee punting Cole's head, and being thrown out of the building, cementing his heel turn. The next day, on "Get Up!", Triple H challenged McAfee to a match on Cole's behalf at NXT TakeOver XXX, which he accepted. On the August 19 episode of "NXT", McAfee (flanked by former NFL players Darius Butler and A. J. Hawk, as well as co-host Nick Maraldo) cut a promo on Cole and the Undisputed Era. Security came into the ring to keep the two men apart, but Cole quickly dealt with them, and then cornered McAfee, by saying that he was going to make him his "bitch". That segment received universal acclaim from fans and critics alike, with wrestlers like CM Punk and former bookers like Jim Cornette praising McAfee's promo work. At NXT TakeOver XXX, McAfee impressed in the match. Highlights included hitting a senton from the top rope and onto the Undisputed Era, and later, with a backflip off the top rope, landing on his feet and leaping back to the top, then hitting a superplex on Cole. Towards the end, McAfee went for an axe-handle, but was superkicked by Cole, who followed up with a "Panama Sunrise" to win the match.


title: Pat McAfee

text: On the October 21 episode of "NXT", McAfee returned, interfering in the tag team title match between Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) and Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan; with the latter being a replacement for the Undisputed Era. McAfee, wearing a silver facemask, shoved Fandango off the top rope, before hiding under the ring. Burch hit Breeze with a low blow while the referee was distracted, then he and Lorcan hit an aided whiplash maneuver on Breeze to win the match and become new tag team champions. Post-match, McAfee revealed himself and Burch and Lorcan aligned themselves with him, resulting in their heel turn. On October 28, at , McAfee confirmed that this was still part of the feud between him and the Undisputed Era, and that, in kayfabe, he had hired Ridge Holland to take out Cole at NXT TakeOver 31. Following Holland's legitimate injuries in a match with Burch, McAfee hired him and Lorcan to take out Fish and Roderick Strong, which gave O'Reilly no choice but to hand them the Undisputed Era's title shot. O'Reilly came out from the back and was joined by Pete Dunne. However, Dunne turned on O'Reilly and joined McAfee's stable, unofficially dubbed "The Kings of NXT". In the next few weeks, McAfee was used in a managerial role, where he called out the absent Undisputed Era and instructed the other members of the stable in beatdowns of Breezango and the pairing of Killian Dain and Drake Maverick. On the November 18 episode of "NXT", McAfee interrupted Finn Bálor mid-promo, and the show ended in chaos as the Undisputed Era made their return. Off-air, general manager William Regal came out from the back and sanctioned a WarGames match between the Undisputed Era and Team McAfee. On December 6, his match at , in which McAfee notably hit a "Swanton Bomb" off the cage, ended in defeat when O'Reilly hit a diving knee drop through a chair on Lorcan, pinning him to win the match.


title: Pat McAfee

text: On the February 17, 2021, episode of "NXT", McAfee made an appearance in a pre-recorded video, bragging that he was right about Cole all along, in the fallout from .


title: Pat McAfee

text: On April 16, 2021, WWE announced that McAfee had been moved to the SmackDown brand, serving as color commentator alongside Michael Cole as a face.


title: Pat McAfee

text: On March 3, 2022 on "The Pat McAfee Show", McAfee would interview Vince McMahon, in which McMahon would offer McAfee a match at WrestleMania. The following day on the March 4 episode of "SmackDown", Austin Theory announced that he was McAfee's WrestleMania opponent. Over the next several weeks, Theory would attack McAfee by slapping him in the face whilst he was commentating, with McAfee retaliating by chasing or attacking Theory back. This would lead to McAfee being forced to apologize to Theory by Vince McMahon on the March 18 episode of "SmackDown" to keep his match at WrestleMania and his job.


title: Pat McAfee

text: On the March 21 episode of "Raw", McAfee would be the guest commentator during Theory's match against Finn Bálor, where McAfee would distract Theory to allow Bálor to win the match. At WrestleMania 38, McAfee would defeat Theory, before challenging Vince McMahon to an impromptu match straight after, which McMahon accepted and won. Following that match, Theory and McMahon would continue to attack McAfee until Stone Cold Steve Austin would interrupt and give them both a Stone Cold Stunner. McAfee would then celebrate with Austin before getting a Stunner as well.


title: Pat McAfee

text: On the June 17 episode of "SmackDown", following his defeat to Madcap Moss, Happy Corbin would angrily confront McAfee, who had been making fun of Corbin during his feud with Moss, leading to McAfee getting the audience to laugh at Corbin. The following week on "SmackDown", McAfee would issue a challenge to Corbin to a match at SummerSlam. After Money in the Bank went off the air, Corbin attacked McAfee from the crowd and accepted McAfee's challenge for a match at SummerSlam and McAfee wore a neck brace while attending UFC 276. McAfee would end up defeating Happy Corbin after hitting him with a low blow when referee Charles Robinson was down, then pinning Corbin with a sunset flip from the middle rope.


title: Pat McAfee

text: WWE announced on September 7 that McAfee was taking a hiatus from working for WWE for the foreseeable future as he is set to join ESPN's College GameDay, and will return once it has ended.


title: Pat McAfee

text: On October 20, 2010, McAfee was arrested and charged with public intoxication, a Class B misdemeanor. McAfee had been allegedly found shirtless and wet, and alleged to have swam in a canal in Broad Ripple, a popular nightclub area in Indianapolis, at approximately 5:15 that morning after being reported by a woman who found him near her car. Police reported that he tested with a blood alcohol content of 0.15. The Colts later issued a one-game suspension to McAfee for his actions. Two weeks after being arrested, McAfee issued an apology for his actions. "Obviously I made a dumb decision on a night when things got out of control," he said. "I will never put my team or my family through this kind of embarrassment again."


title: Pat McAfee

text: On February 5, 2016, McAfee became a Guinness World Record holder by successfully kicking a 40-yard field goal while blindfolded. The record was surpassed two years later when Davis Brief, a fan of McAfee's, kicked a 45-yard field goal while blindfolded on September 23, 2018.


title: Pat McAfee

text: McAfee became engaged to his girlfriend, Samantha Ludy, in February 2019. The two were married August 1, 2020, at Coxhall Gardens in Carmel, Indiana.


title: Pat McAfee

text: McAfee is good friends with fellow wrestler and fellow former football player Thomas Pestock, best known by his ring names Baron Corbin, King Corbin, and Happy Corbin. They were teammates at the Indianapolis Colts and lived together during their rookie year. They bonded over their love for wrestling and eventually would work a match together at SummerSlam 2022.


title: Pat McAfee

text: In November 2011, McAfee chopped off his signature locks for Locks of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces for children who are suffering from long-term illness and are poor.


title: Pat McAfee

text: In May 2016, McAfee created a company named Shirts for America, to serve as a sponsor for IndyCar driver Conor Daly for the 2016 Indianapolis 500 and to support both the Pat McAfee Foundation and Wish for Our Heroes.


title: Pat McAfee

text: In 2020, McAfee donated $200,000 to the Barstool Fund, a charity started by Dave Portnoy to provide relief to small business owners impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Pat McAfee

text: In 2021, he donated over $6 million to various causes, including sports teams at his hometown high school Plum, the children’s hospital at WVU, and a football program for under privileged youth run by former teammate Robert Mathis.


title: Iman Vellani

text: Iman Vellani (; born August 12, 2002) is a Pakistani-born Canadian actress. She is known for the Disney+ miniseries "Ms. Marvel" (2022) as the protagonist Kamala Khan, a role she will reprise in the film "The Marvels" (2023).


title: Iman Vellani

text: Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Vellani moved to Canada when she was a year old, and was raised in the Ismaili faith, a branch of Shia Islam. She graduated from Unionville High School in Markham, Ontario. Vellani was selected as a member of the TIFF Next Wave Committee at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. Before being cast in "Ms. Marvel" at the end of her last year of high school, Vellani had planned to attend the Ontario College of Art & Design University with a focus on integrated media.


title: Iman Vellani

text: In September 2020, it was revealed Vellani was cast as the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero Kamala Khan for Marvel Studios and Disney+'s streaming television miniseries "Ms. Marvel". Vellani's aunt had forwarded her a casting call for the role, which led to her submitting a self-tape before being asked to audition in Los Angelesand eventually having two screen tests: an in-person one in February that year, as well as a virtual one over Zoom in June. Kamala Khan co-creator Sana Amanat, who served as an executive producer on the series, said Vellani revealed in her Zoom screen test that she, like Khan, is an Avengers fangirl. Amanat said, "She showed me every corner of her room, and it was covered with Avengers. Then she said, 'Oh, wait; I'm not done', opened up her closet, and there was more Marvel everywhere".


title: Iman Vellani

text: In June 2022, Vellani appeared in "A Fan's Guide to Ms. Marvel", a documentary short about the production of the series. Featuring interviews with the filmmaking team and her, it was released on Disney+ before the premiere of "Ms. Marvel". On June 8, 2022, "Ms. Marvel" premiered on Disney+, marking Vellani's onscreen debut. Both the series and her portrayal of the title character received widespread praise. Kathryn Porter of "Paste" wrote that Vellani "shines" in the role and that there was "no way to explain how great she is in this other than to say that she embodies the true spirit of Kamala Khan". Mohammad Zaheer of "BBC Culture" called her "an adorable bundle of charisma" in a role "tailor-made for her", while Angie Han of "The Hollywood Reporter" said that Vellani's full of "youthful verve and irresistible moxie" in her role. The miniseries concluded on July 13, 2022, consisting of six episodes. In July, Vellani appeared in "Disney Wish"'s CGIimmersive interactive experience, "", reprising her role as Khan. The following month, she appeared in "Assembled: The Making of Ms. Marvel", a documentary special focused on the process of conceptualising and creating the series, featuring on-set interviews with Vellani, cast members, and creatives. The special was released on Disney+, as the tenth installment of the anthology docuseries "".


title: Iman Vellani

text: Vellani is set to reprise her role as Kamala Khan in the 2023 film "The Marvels", a sequel to the 2019 film "Captain Marvel", which is also intended to serve as a continuation of "Ms. Marvel". She will also voice an animated version of the character for Disney+'s series adaption of the fifth episode of the animated series, "What If...?".


title: Kaká

text: Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká () or Ricardo Kaká, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. In his prime as a playmaker at AC Milan, a period marked by his creative passing, goal scoring and dribbles from midfield, Kaká is widely considered one of the best players of his generation. With success at club and international level, he is one of nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d'Or.


title: Kaká

text: Kaká made his professional club debut at age 18 at São Paulo in Brazil in 2001, and his performances with the club led to him joining Serie A club AC Milan in 2003. In Italy, Kaká helped Milan win the Serie A title in his first season. Milan finished runners up in the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League with Kaká the top assist provider of the tournament, and he was named the UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year. He led Milan to win the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League and was the tournament's top goal scorer. His performances saw him win the FIFA World Player of the Year, the 2007 Ballon d'Or and the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year. After six years with Milan, Kaká joined Real Madrid in 2009 for a transfer fee of €67 million, which was the second highest transfer fee at the time. However, after four injury troubled seasons in Spain, which saw his physical mobility rapidly decline, he returned to AC Milan for a single season in 2013, prior to joining MLS expansion club Orlando City. He initially returned to his former club São Paulo on loan, before returning to Orlando in 2015 and retiring in 2017.


title: Kaká

text: Kaká made his debut for the Brazil national team in 2002, and was selected for their victorious FIFA World Cup squad that year. An established member of the team for the 2006 World Cup, he was part of a much vaunted quartet that included Ronaldo, Adriano and Ronaldinho that ultimately underperformed at the tournament before he made his final appearance in a World Cup in 2010. He was also a member of Brazil's 2005 and 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup-winning squads, winning the Golden Ball Award in 2009 as the tournament's best player.


title: Kaká

text: In addition to his individual awards, between 2006 and 2009 he was named in both the FIFA World XI and the UEFA Team of the Year three times. In 2010, he was named in the AC Milan Hall of Fame. One of the world's most famous athletes during his playing career, Kaká was the first sportsperson to amass 10 million followers on Twitter. Off the field, Kaká is known for his humanitarian work, where he became the youngest ambassador of the UN World Food Programme in 2004. For his contributions on and off the pitch, Kaká was listed by "Time" as one of the world's 100 most influential people in 2008 and 2009.


title: Kaká

text: Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite was born in Gama, Federal District, to Simone dos Santos, an elementary school teacher, and Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite, a civil engineer. He had a financially secure upbringing that allowed him to focus on both school and football at the same time. His younger brother Rodrigo (best known as Digão) and cousin Eduardo Delani are also professional footballers. Digão called him "Caca" due to his inability to pronounce "Ricardo" when they were young; it eventually evolved into "Kaká." The word has no specific Portuguese translation.


title: Kaká

text: When he was seven, Kaká's family moved to São Paulo, in the homonymous state. His school had arranged him in a local youth club called ""Alphaville,"" who qualified to the final in a local tournament. There he was discovered by hometown club São Paulo FC, who offered him a place in the youth academy. At the age of 18, Kaká suffered a career-threatening and possibly paralysis-inducing spinal fracture as a result of a swimming pool accident, but made a full recovery. He attributes his recovery to God and has since tithed his income to his church.


title: Kaká

text: Kaká began his career with São Paulo at the age of eight. He signed a contract at 15 and led the São Paulo youth squad to "Copa de Juvenil" glory. He made his senior side debut on 1 February 2001 and scored 12 goals in 27 appearances, in addition to leading São Paulo to its first and only Torneio Rio-São Paulo championship, in which he scored two goals in two minutes as a substitute against Botafogo in the final, which São Paulo won 2–1.


title: Kaká

text: He scored ten goals in 22 matches the following season, and by this time his performance was soon attracting attention from European clubs. Kaká made a total of 58 appearances for São Paulo, scoring 23 times.


title: Kaká

text: The steady European interest in Kaká culminated in his signing with the European champions, Italian club AC Milan, in 2003 for a fee of reported €8.5 million, described in retrospect as "peanuts" by club owner Silvio Berlusconi. Within a month, he cracked the starting lineup, replacing Rui Costa in the attacking midfield playmaking position, behind strikers Jon Dahl Tomasson, Filippo Inzaghi and Andriy Shevchenko. His Serie A debut was in a 2–0 win over Ancona. He scored ten goals in 30 appearances that season, also providing several important assists, such as the cross which led to Shevchenko's title-deciding headed goal, as Milan won the "Scudetto" and the UEFA Super Cup, whilst finishing as runner up in the Intercontinental Cup and the 2003 Supercoppa Italiana. Milan also reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, losing out to eventual winners Lazio, and were knocked out of the quarter-finals of the Champions League by Deportivo La Coruña. Due to his performances in his debut season, in 2004, Kaká was named Serie A Footballer of the Year, and was nominated for both the Ballon d'Or (finishing 15th) and the 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year (finishing 10th).


title: Kaká

text: Kaká was a part of the five-man midfield in the 2004–05 season, usually playing in a withdrawn role behind striker Andriy Shevchenko. He was supported by Gennaro Gattuso and Clarence Seedorf defensively, as well as Massimo Ambrosini, allowing Kaká as the attacking midfielder and Rui Costa or Andrea Pirlo as the deep-lying playmaker to be in charge of creating Milan's goalscoring chances, forming a formidable midfield unit in both Italy and Europe. Milan began the season by winning the Supercoppa Italiana against Lazio. He scored seven goals in 36 domestic appearances as Milan finished runner-up in the "Scudetto" race. Milan also reached the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia that season. Kaká played a pivotal role in Milan's Champions League campaign that season, helping them to reach the final against Liverpool, scoring two goals and providing five assists. Dubbed the "Miracle of Istanbul", Milan led 3–0 at half time, before Liverpool staged a comeback, scoring three goals in six minutes, and eventually won the match 3–2 on penalties. A match widely regarded as one of the greatest finals in the competition's history, Kaká was imperious in the first half; he first won the early free-kick which led to Paolo Maldini's opening goal, began the play that led to Hernán Crespo's first goal and Milan's second of the night, then executed a long curling pass that split open the Liverpool defence and rolled directly into the path of Crespo to score Milan's third. Kaká was once again nominated for the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year Awards, finishing ninth and eighth respectively, and he was named the 2005 UEFA Club Football Best Midfielder.


title: Kaká

text: The 2005–06 season saw Kaká score his first hat-tricks in domestic competitions. On 9 April 2006, he scored his first "Rossoneri" hat-trick against Chievo, with all three goals scored in the second half. Milan were knocked out in the semi-finals of the 2005–06 Champions League to eventual champions Barcelona, and were once again eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia. Milan also finished once again as runners-up in Serie A, with Kaká scoring 17 goals in the league. After the 2006 Calciopoli scandal, however, Milan were deducted 30 points, which placed them in third in the table. Kaká was nominated for the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year Awards for the third consecutive year, finishing 11th and seventh respectively. He was also selected to be part of both the UEFA Team of the Year and the FIFPro World XI for the first time in his career.


title: Kaká

text: Andriy Shevchenko's departure to Chelsea for the 2006–07 season allowed Kaká to become the focal point of Milan's offense as he alternated between the midfield and forward positions, operating at times as a striker or as a second striker behind Filippo Inzaghi, as well as in his more typical attacking midfield position. On 2 November 2006, he scored his first Champions League hat-trick in a 4–1 group stage win over the Belgian side Anderlecht. He finished as the top scorer in the 2006–07 Champions League campaign with ten goals. One of the goals helped the "Rossoneri" eliminate Celtic in the round of 16, 1–0 on aggregate, and he scored three goals against Manchester United in the semi-finals. Milan also reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia that season, losing out to winners Roma, and finished fourth in Serie A.


title: Kaká

text: Kaká won the Champions League title when Milan defeated Liverpool 2–1 on 23 May 2007, avenging the previous loss on penalties two years before. Though he went scoreless, he won a free kick that led to the first of Filippo Inzaghi's two goals, and provided the assist for the second. On 30 August, Kaká was named by UEFA as both the top forward of the 2006–07 Champions League season and UEFA Club Footballer of the Year, as well as being named as part of the UEFA Team of the Year for the second time. He once again finished as the second-best assist-provider of the Champions League, providing five, and was voted the 2007 IFFHS World's Best Playmaker.


title: Kaká

text: Milan began its 2007–08 season by winning the UEFA Super Cup on 31 August, defeating Sevilla 3–1, with Kaká scoring the third goal. Kaká had made a dribbling run into Sevilla's area, winning a penalty, which he then proceeded to take. Although it was saved by goalkeeper Andrés Palop, Kaká scored on the rebound with a header. Kaká had previously hit the post in the first half. He played his 200th career match with Milan in a 1–1 home draw with Catania on 30 September, scoring from a penalty, and on 5 October, he was named the 2006–07 FIFPro World Player of the Year, and was elected as part of the FIFPro World XI for the second time in his career. On 2 December 2007, Kaká became the eighth Milan player to win the Ballon d'Or, as he finished with a decisive 444 votes, well ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He signed a contract extension through 2013 with Milan on 29 February 2008.


title: Kaká

text: On 16 December, Kaká won the FIFA Club World Cup against Boca Juniors, scoring Milan's third goal of the match in a 4–2 victory which allowed them to be crowned World Champions. Kaká had previously assisted Filippo Inzaghi's opening goal of the match and also assisted Inzaghi's final goal of the match after an impressive exchange with Clarence Seedorf; he was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the competition. On 17 December, Kaká was voted the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year with 1,047 votes, ahead of Lionel Messi with 504 and Cristiano Ronaldo with 426.


title: Kaká

text: In January 2008, Kaká was also named the 2007 Serie A Footballer of the Year, winning the award for the second time in his career. His contributions on and off the pitch saw "Time" magazine name Kaká in the Time 100 list on 2 May. On 14 October, he cast his footprints into the Estádio do Maracanã's sidewalk of fame, in a section dedicated to the memory of the country's top players. Kaká finished the 2007–08 season with 15 goals in Serie A. His best goals included a curling strike from 30 yards into the top corner against Lazio, a powerful strike from the edge of the 18-yard box against Cagliari, and a now trademark slalom run past a number of Udinese players before bending the ball into the bottom corner. He was nominated as a finalist for the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year, finishing fourth, and was nominated for the Ballon d'Or, finishing in eighth. He was named in the six-man shortlist for the 2008 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, and was selected in the FIFPro World XI for the third time in his career. He was named in the Time 100 again in 2009.


title: Kaká

text: The BBC reported on 13 January 2009 that Manchester City made a bid for Kaká for over £100 million. Milan Director Umberto Gandini replied that Milan would only discuss the matter if Kaká and Manchester City agreed to personal terms. Kaká initially responded by telling reporters he wanted to "grow old" at Milan and dreamed of captaining the club one day, but later said, "If Milan want to sell me, I'll sit down and talk. I can say that as long as the club don't want to sell me, I'll definitely stay." On 19 January, Silvio Berlusconi announced that Manchester City had officially ended their bid after a discussion between the clubs, and that Kaká would remain with Milan. Milan supporters had protested outside the club headquarters earlier that evening, and later chanted outside Kaká's home, where he saluted them by flashing his jersey outside a window. Kaká finished his final season with Milan by scoring 16 goals, helping Milan finish third in Serie A, and once again being elected as a finalist for the FIFA World Player of the Year Award, finishing fourth in voting for the second-straight year. He was also nominated for the Ballon d'Or award, finishing in sixth place, and was named in the UEFA Team of the Year for the third time in his career.


title: Kaká

text: On 3 June 2009, it was reported that newly elected Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez had offered to buy Kaká from Milan for a reported €68.5 million, two days after the player had left for international duty with Brazil. Milan vice-chairman and CEO Adriano Galliani confirmed that he and Kaká's father, Bosco Leite, had traveled to Mexico to meet with "La Volpe": "We had lunch and spoke about Kaká. I don't deny it. Negotiations exist, but a deal has yet to be done." On 4 June, Galliani told "Gazzetta dello Sport" that financial reasons were his motive for the talks with "La Volpe": "We cannot allow [Milan] to lose €70 million ... The reasons behind Kaká's departure would be economic." On 8 June, Milan and Real Madrid confirmed Kaká's move to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on a six-year deal for €67 million fee.


title: Kaká

text: Kaká was unveiled as a Real Madrid player on 30 June 2009, and he made his unofficial debut on 7 August 2009 in a 5–1 friendly victory against Toronto FC. He scored his first goal for Madrid during a pre-season match on 19 August 2009, in a 5–0 victory against Borussia Dortmund. Kaká later made his league debut on 29 August 2009 in a 3–2 win against Deportivo de La Coruña. He scored his first goal, a penalty, on 23 September in a 2–0 win against Villarreal. Real Madrid finished the season as runners-up in La Liga, with Kaká scoring eight goals and providing six assists in La Liga, and nine goals and eight assists in all competitions.


title: Kaká

text: On 5 August 2010, Real Madrid announced that Kaká had undergone a successful surgery on a long-standing left knee injury and would face up to four months on the sidelines. Kaká returned to training after a long lay-off, with manager José Mourinho commenting that having Kaká back from injury was like a new signing. After an eight-month absence, Kaká returned to play by entering as a substitute for Karim Benzema on the 77th minute of a 3–2 victory over Getafe on 3 January 2011. He said he was "(...) happy for playing a game again and for stepping onto a pitch." His first league goal (and his first of the season) after his return from injury came with an assist from Cristiano Ronaldo on a 4–2 victory over Villarreal on 9 January 2011.


title: Kaká

text: In March 2011, Kaká suffered from Iliotibial band syndrome, which kept him sidelined for a few weeks. After returning from injury, he appeared in a convincing win over Valencia, scoring two goals. At the end of his second season with the club, Real Madrid and Kaká had won the Copa del Rey, although they finished as runners-up in both La Liga and in the Supercopa de España to rivals Barcelona. Real Madrid were also knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona in the semi-finals of the competition. Kaká finished his season with seven goals and six assists in all competitions in 20 appearances.


title: Kaká

text: On 27 September 2011, Kaká experienced one of his best matches as a Real Madrid player during a 3–0 victory over Ajax in the Champions League, as he scored one goal, provided one assist and participated in one of the best team build-ups of the matchday: a counterattacking move involving Mesut Özil, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. Kaká was later chosen the best player of the Champions League Matchday. With this match, Kaká experienced one of the best starts to a season he has ever had, scoring two goals, serving two assists and winning one penalty for his team. In 2011–12, Real Madrid won La Liga with a record 100 points that year, with Kaká providing nine assists and scoring five goals in the competition. They were, however, eliminated for the second year in a row in the semi-finals of the Champions League, losing out to eventual runners-up Bayern Munich on penalties. The decisive misses for Real Madrid were by Ronaldo, Kaká and Sergio Ramos. He finished the season with eight goals and 14 assists in all club competitions. Real Madrid were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey by eventual winners Barcelona.


title: Kaká

text: Real Madrid began the 2012–13 season by winning the 2012 Supercopa de España against rivals Barça. On 4 December 2012, after scoring in a 4–1 win against Ajax, Kaká became the top Brazilian goalscorer in Champions League history, with 28 goals. After the match, Kaká said, "This was an important goal for me, and I hope I've still got goals left to help Real Madrid. It was an important win and a special night." Kaká came on just before an hour was played, but was sent off as he was controversially booked twice within 18 minutes in a 0–0 draw against Osasuna on 12 January 2013. It was his first sending-off at Madrid since he joined from Milan in 2009 and his first red card since he was dismissed playing for Brazil against Ivory Coast at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Real Madrid finished the season in second place in La Liga behind Barcelona, and also finished runners-up in the Copa del Rey to city rivals Atlético Madrid. They were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Champions League for the third consecutive year by eventual runners-up Borussia Dortmund.


title: Kaká

text: On 29 August 2013, Kaká expressed his desire to leave Real Madrid, having scored 29 goals and provided 32 assists in 120 appearances in all competitions over four seasons at the club. He said goodbye to Real Madrid and its fans in an open letter on Twitter.


title: Kaká

text: Milan confirmed that Kaká would join the club on 2 September 2013 from Real Madrid on a free transfer with only performance-related incentives owed to Madrid; after agreeing to personal terms, he signed a two-year contract. Kaká's contract was worth €4 million net per year and he was given the number 22 shirt, the same number he wore for Milan during his first spell. He was also made the vice-captain upon his arrival. He captained Milan in his debut for his second spell, taking the armband from goalkeeper Marco Amelia in a match against Chiasso.


title: Kaká

text: Kaká tore his left adductor muscle during his first competitive appearance, deciding not to accept any wages from Milan whilst he regained fitness. He made his return for Milan on 19 October after coming on as a 76th-minute substitute in a 1–0 home victory against Udinese. In his next match, on 22 October, Kaká assisted Robinho in the 1–1 home draw against Barcelona in the Champions League. His first goal, described by ESPN as "a sensational curling shot from the edge of the area into the top right-hand corner," opened the scoring in a 1–1 home draw at San Siro to Lazio on 30 October. On 7 January 2014, Kaká scored his 100th goal for Milan by an opening goal in a match against Atalanta; he later went on to score another goal 30 minutes later. On 11 March he scored a goal against Atlético Madrid in Vicente Calderón Stadium, this goal made him the last player to score against Atlético Madrid at Vicente Calderón for three seasons in knockout phase until Isco scored against them in 2016–17 UEFA Champions League semi final. On 29 March 2014, Kaká scored twice in a 3–0 win against Chievo, his 300th match for Milan.


title: Kaká

text: In June 2014, it was reported that Kaká had entered into advanced discussions with Orlando City to join the team in January 2015 when they enter Major League Soccer (MLS).


title: Kaká

text: On 30 June 2014, Kaká had his Milan contract terminated through mutual consent despite having a year remaining, by activating a release clause as a result of the team not qualifying for European competitions.


title: Kaká

text: Kaka joined future MLS franchise Orlando City as their first Designated Player. He stated that he had "always" wanted to play in the United States, and cited the Brazilian owner Flávio Augusto da Silva as a reason for signing. Until Orlando entered the league in 2015, Kaká was loaned to his first club São Paulo, which he called "really satisfying."


title: Kaká

text: By signing for Orlando City, Kaká became the highest-paid player in MLS history, with a base salary of US$6.6 million per year, and with a guaranteed compensation of $7.2 million per year.


title: Kaká

text: On 3 July 2014, Kaká arrived at São Paulo and began training the next day. He made his comeback in a league match against Goiás on 27 July 2014, starting and scoring a goal in the 76th minute, although his team lost 2–1. On 4 September 2014, in the second round of the Copa Sudamericana, Kaká scored in a 2–0 victory over Criciúma. On 9 November 2014, Kaká scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Vitória.


title: Kaká

text: Kaká scored in his first match for Orlando City, a 4–0 friendly win over FC Dallas. He then scored again in a 1–1 friendly draw against New York City FC. On 8 March 2015, Kaká scored a free kick for the equaliser in a 1–1 draw on his MLS debut against New York City FC at the Citrus Bowl, the first in Orlando City's competitive history. Kaká scored one and assisted another in a 2–2 draw with Montreal Impact on 28 March 2015. He came second in the "Etihad Airways MLS Player of the Month "poll" "for his performances in March.


title: Kaká

text: On 13 April 2015, Kaká scored a penalty against Portland Timbers in a 2–0 win. On 17 May 2015, Kaká scored one and assisted another in Orlando City's 4–0 win over defending MLS champions LA Galaxy. By doing so, Orlando became the first expansion team to beat a defending MLS champion by more than a three-goal margin. On 30 June, Kaká scored Orlando's opening goal in the 21st minute of his Open Cup debut, helping his team to a 2–0 home win over Columbus Crew, in the fifth round of the competition, which enabled the club to advance to the quarter-finals. On 5 July, he received the first straight red card of his career in a 1–1 away draw against Real Salt Lake; he had previously scored a goal during the match. Later that month, Kaká was named to the 2015 MLS All-Star Game as the team's captain. During the MLS All-Star Game on 29 July, at the Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, he scored from a penalty and later assisted David Villa as the MLS All-Stars defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2–1; Kaká was named MVP of the match. Despite his efforts, he was unable to help Orlando City become the first expansion team to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs since the Seattle Sounders in 2009, as Orlando narrowly missed out on the sixth seed spot in the Eastern Conference; he ended his first season with 9 goals and 7 assists in 28 MLS appearances, also scoring another goal from two appearances in the 2015 MLS Open Cup.


title: Kaká

text: After initially being sidelined through injury and missing Orlando City's first three matches of the 2016 MLS season, Kaká returned to the team's starting line-up and made his first appearance of the season on 3 April, against the Portland Timbers; he assisted two goals and later scored one himself in a 4–1 home victory, and was subsequently named to the MLS team of the week for his performance. In July 2016, he was included in the roster for the 2016 MLS All-Star Game. He finished his second MLS season with the club with 9 goals and 10 assists in 24 appearances, as Orlando once again failed to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs.


title: Kaká

text: On 5 March 2017, in Orlando City's opening match of the MLS season against New York City, and the club's stadium debut, Kaká hit the turf clutching his left leg just minutes after the game had started; the Lions beat their opponents 1–0. Later, it was reported that Kaká would be out for 6 weeks due to a hamstring strain. Kaka came back in action and he scored on his return in Orlando City 2–0 win over Colorado Rapids on 29 April. The next week, he scored another goal in Orlando's 2–1 loss against Toronto FC. He scored his third goal of the season in a 2–2 draw against Sporting KC on 13 May 2017. On 14 June, he played in the 3–1 loss in U.S. Open Cup match against Miami FC which was coached by his former teammate Alessandro Nesta. On 17 June he assisted Matías Pérez García's goal against Montreal Impact. The following match, he provided another assist for Scott Sutter last minute equalizer against Seattle Sounders. On 7 July, he was chosen to play for the 2017 MLS All-Star Game for the third consecutive season. He scored a long range stunner against Atlanta United on 29 July.


title: Kaká

text: Orlando City were officially eliminated from playoff contention on 7 October, following New York Red Bulls's 3–0 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps. Kaká announced on 11 October 2017 that he would not be renewing his contract with Orlando City for the 2018 MLS season. He played his last official match for Orlando on 15 October in a 1–0 home defeat against Columbus Crew; he finished the 2017 MLS season with 6 goals and 5 assists in 23 league appearances. He later appeared once more for Orlando, in a 6–1 home win over the Puerto Rican national team in the "Fuerza Puerto Rico" friendly, held on 5 November, to raise money for Hurricane Maria relief. In total, Kaká made 75 league appearances in his three seasons with Orlando, scoring 24 goals and providing 22 assists.


title: Kaká

text: Kaká announced his retirement on 17 December 2017, after turning down offers from his former clubs São Paulo and AC Milan. He also expressed interest in working as a director, confirming that Milan had offered him a role.


title: Kaká

text: Kaká was called up for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, but the Brazilians crashed out to Ghana in the quarter-finals. Several months later, he made his debut for the senior Brazil squad in a friendly match against Bolivia on 31 January 2002. He was part of Brazil's 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning squad in Korea/Japan, but played only 25 minutes, all of which were in the 5–2 first round victory against Costa Rica on 13 June.


title: Kaká

text: In 2003, Kaká was the captain for the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where Brazil, competing with their under-23 team, finished as runner-up to Mexico. He scored three goals during the tournament.


title: Kaká

text: Kakà was included in Brazil's squad for 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany. He appeared in all five matches and scored one goal in a 4–1 win over Argentina in the final.


title: Kaká

text: Kaká started in his first FIFA World Cup finals in 2006 and scored his first and only goal of the tournament with a 25-yard strike in Brazil's 1–0 victory over Croatia in Brazil's opener, for which he was named Man of the Match. Kaká was unable to keep up the momentum for the remainder of the tournament, as Brazil was eliminated by France in the quarter-finals with French star Thierry Henry scoring the winner.


title: Kaká

text: In a friendly against rivals Argentina at the Emirates Stadium, London on 3 September 2006, after entering as a substitute, Kaká received the ball off a deflection from an Argentina corner kick and outran Lionel Messi while taking the ball down three quarters of the field to score. Exhibiting his "fantastic acceleration and balletic grace" (according to Carl Anka for the BBC), Kaká regards it as the greatest goal he ever scored. On 12 May 2007, citing an exhaustive schedule of Serie A, Champions League and national team play, Kaká bowed out of the 2007 Copa América, which Brazil won. After missing out on the Copa América, he returned to play in Brazil's friendly match against Algeria on 22 August 2007. On 11 October 2008, Kaká opened the scoring for Brazil in their 4–0 win against Venezuela in a qualification game for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.


title: Kaká

text: Kaká participated in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, wearing the number 10 shirt, marking his first international tournament since the 2006 World Cup. His only two goals came in Brazil's group stage opener against Egypt on 14 June, when he scored a goal in the fifth minute and then added a 90th-minute penalty in Brazil's 4–3 victory. Kaká also provided two assists throughout the tournament. He received the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament at the Confederations Cup and was also named the Man of the Match in the final after helping Brazil to a 3–2 win against the United States.


title: Kaká

text: At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, during the match against Ivory Coast on 20 June, Kaká received a controversial red card after receiving two yellow cards. The second card was given for an alleged elbow in the direction of Abdul Kader Keïta. Kaká ended the tournament with three assists in total, as the joint-top assist provider, although he failed to score a goal during the tournament. Brazil eventually ended up losing 2–1 to World Cup eventual runners-up Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the tournament.


title: Kaká

text: After more than a year absence from the national team due to a series of injuries, Kaká was recalled on 27 October 2011 for the friendly matches against Gabon and Egypt in November. He later had to be removed from the squad due to a calf injury, and thus did not play either of the matches.


title: Kaká

text: After not appearing for Brazil in two years, Kaká was recalled on 28 September 2012 for the friendly matches against Iraq and Japan in October. Following his recall to the "Seleção" squad, Kaká stated, "I admit it was a surprise this call ... When the list was published, I was extremely happy. It was like my first call-up." Brazil coach Mano Menezes said that despite Kaká and Oscar's similarities, the two would be able to play alongside each other, as Kaká had slightly changed his playing style. On his return to the national side, Kaká scored in both matches, a 6–0 win over Iraq and a 4–0 win over Japan. Kaká retained his place in the squad for Brazil's 1,000th game in history, a 1–1 friendly draw against Colombia on 14 November 2012.


title: Kaká

text: On 5 March 2013, Kaká was called up by new Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari for the first time since the coach's return, for friendlies with Italy in London and Russia in Geneva, both taking place late in that month. Kaká, however, was not selected for the national team for the 2013 Confederations Cup and was also omitted from Scolari's 2014 World Cup squad. After almost 18 months, Kaká was recalled to the Brazilian team in October 2014 by new manager Dunga for friendlies against Argentina and Japan. On 1 May 2015, Kaká was selected as one of seven stand-by players in Brazil's preliminary squad for the 2015 Copa América, although he was not called up for the final tournament. In August 2015, he was called up to the national team once again for the team's international friendlies in September, and made a substitute appearance in Brazil's 1–0 victory over Costa Rica on 5 September; this was his first appearance for Brazil in almost a year, and his 90th appearance for his country overall. Following Douglas Costa's left thigh injury in late May 2016, which ruled him out of Brazil's Copa América Centenario squad, Kaká was called up as a replacement by Dunga. On 30 May, he subsequently appeared as an 80th-minute substitute in a pre-Copa América friendly warm-up match against Panama, which ended in a 2–0 victory to Brazil. A muscle injury sustained in early June, however, also ruled Kaká out of the upcoming tournament; he was replaced by Ganso.


title: Kaká

text: Regarded as one of the best players of his generation, Kaká has been described on the FIFA website as having the "capacity to glide almost effortlessly past opponents, provide defence-splitting passes and score consistently from distance." During his prime at Milan in the mid to late 2000s, and prior to the injuries he suffered at Real Madrid which affected his mobility, Kaká was a quick, agile, hard-working, highly skilful and creative team player with great pace, ball control, technique, movement, and balance, capable of dribbling past defenders in one on one situations as well as during counterattacks. Regarding his speed and elegance on the ball during his trademark forward runs, in 2017, Karl Matchett of Bleacher Report stated:


title: Kaká

text: Tim Vickery of ESPN wrote, "Kaká running forward with the ball had the power of a freight train. He married power with finesse", but on the impact of his knee and groin issues at Madrid, added, "once his acceleration had been reduced, he lacked the subtlety to shine as before." Carl Anka of the BBC writes that his "knee and groin problems sapped him of the explosive half-yard burst he needed to navigate the corridors of midfield uncertainty", and that by 2009 he "was already on the wane." Anka adds that being the last player to win FIFA World Player of the Year (in 2007) prior to the Messi-Ronaldo dominance over the next decade, Kaká's standing in the game has been "lost in a haze", with his "greatness just out of sight".