top heavy and unconvincing. No one came out of it well. Kaka, the best player on the field in the opening win over Croatia, grew steadily worse until he was hauled off as Brazil crashed out to France in the quarterfinal.

Four years later there was another quarterfinal exit, this time against the Netherlands. This time he did not have to share the limelight. Coach Dunga's team was built around his explosion on the counterattack. But physical problems were already taking their toll, and he had a very disappointing tournament.

He looked in line to end his international career with a final crack at the World Cup on home soil. Late in 2012 he was recalled by Brazil coach Mano Menezes and slotted successfully into a team that operated withouta specialist centre-forward. But Menezes was controversially sacked. Luiz Felipe Scolari took over. Back came the centre-forward and out went Kaka.

Might he have functioned as a wise old head in a group clearly overawed by playing a World Cup on home soil? We will never know. For Kaka it remains a frustrating "if only."

But, especially in that golden six-year spell at Milan, he can look back on plenty of times when the opposition was unable to derail the freight train with finesse.

Tim Vickery covers South American football for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @Tim_Vickery.