Kaká: Happiest day at Real? When I left. Because of what Florentino said to me

He was the last to break Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s reign over the Ballon d’Or for ten years. In 2007, the most valuable individual trophy was dominated by Brazilian Kaká, who earned a move to Real Madrid. And what was his most treasured memory?

He was part of the Galácticos. He arrived at Real Madrid along with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in the summer of 2009, Los Blancos paid AC Milan 67 million euros for him.

But of the three, he had the weakest career at the Santiago Bernabéu. Ronaldo rewrote all records at the club in 9 years, becoming the top scorer in the club’s history and winning the Champions League four times. Benzema is the current captain and is going for the Ballon d’Or.

The Brazilian magician’s career at Madrid was riddled with frequent injuries, he cannot be considered a complete flop, but he didn’t make a big dent in the world either, considering the expectations that came with him as one of the best players in the world.

Eventually, he returned to AC Milan in the summer of 2013, playing 120 games for Real Madrid in four years, scoring 29 goals and adding 39 assists.

Recognition from Pérez

And what is his favourite moment from his Madrid career? Somewhat surprisingly, the day he left.

“It may sound strange, but the day my departure was completed. Because I spoke to Florentino Pérez (president) and he told me that he saw me as a huge professional who did everything to achieve great things with Real Madrid, but injuries and the lack of minutes the coach was giving me made it impossible,” Kaká said in an interview with the MARCA newspaper.

“It was a great satisfaction for me because I felt that the door was open to the club. Because of that, you will never hear me speak badly about Real Madrid or José Mourinho. In fact, when I met Florentino at the Champions League final in Paris, we hugged each other happily,” the 40-year-old Brazilian recalls.

And what does Kaká do after his career? He’s stayed with the sport and is taking up running, preparing for his first marathon in Berlin on Monday. He ran a half marathon in Rio de Janeiro last month, and now he’s preparing for a bigger race.

Source: MARCA