Ronaldo are off the curve. By any normal standards, Kaka was an extraordinary talent.

His is the tale of the advantages of a privileged background put to productive use. Unusually for a Brazilian footballer, Kaka comes from money. His father was a highly successful engineer. He could have followed the family lead, or lived a playboy existence. Instead, he decided to give football his all. The story was nearly a very short one.

An accident in a swimming pool at the age of 18 could have ended his career even before it had started. As he recovered, Kaka wrote out a list of targets to be achieved in the game, and one by one he methodically went about crossing them off the list.

His greatest days came in a six-year spellat AC Milan between 2003 and 2009. The club took a gamble on him. And before long he had put established stars like Rui Costa and Rivaldo on the bench. He found the adaptation easy; well travelled and well educated, he had no fear of the world and genuinely wanted to be in Italy, soaking up the cultural experience.

He was soon soaking up the plaudits as well. Kaka running forward with the ball had the power of a freight train. He married power with finesse, and kept the game simple.

Perhaps his strengths and weaknesses were best showcased in the two Champions League finals he played against Liverpool. In 2005 opposing coach Rafael Benitez made a selection blunder, going without a holding midfielder to play against Kaka. The Brazilian