For many, Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, known as Kaká in the football world, is a cult player. The winner of the 2002 World Cup and the Ballon d’Or in the distant year of 2007 had a brilliant career at AC Milan, where he established himself as the best footballer on the planet and achieved eternal glory by lifting the coveted UEFA Champions League trophy in the 2006/2007 season.
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However, many others believe that Kaká was never able to reach his true potential, and after his unsuccessful spell at Real Madrid, the world missed seeing him perform at the highest level in the prime years of his career.
Nevertheless, due to his achievements and legacy, he is considered by many as one of the greatest players to have ever played in the premier European continental tournament: the Champions League.
According to a recent ranking by the English media GiveMeSport, Kaká is the tenth best midfielder in the entire history of the European continental tournament, only being surpassed by some of the greatest legends in sports history.
In their ranking, the author explains the reasons that led them to choose Kaká as the tenth best midfielder in their classification:
“Kaká is one of the iconic players of all time in the Champions League, and the only reason he does not rank higher on this list is that his career was not as sustained at the highest level as that of other players on it. In any case, in terms of pure footballing ability, he is up there with the best, as evidenced by his contribution of 55 goals in just 86 matches in the competition.”
It is also highlighted that he played in two UEFA Champions League finals (2005 and 2007), winning one of them and getting revenge against Liverpool for the final lost in Istanbul.
The Top 10 Midfielders in UEFA Champions League History, according to GiveMeSport:
This ranking, as reported by the source, was based on the following key factors: titles won, matches played, goals, assists, footballing ability, and notable or outstanding moments in the Champions League. Based on this, the ranking was as follows:
- (10) Ricardo “Kaká”
1 title – 86 matches – 30 goals – 25 assists - (9) Steven Gerrard
1 title – 73 matches – 11 goals – 31 assists - (8) Andrea Pirlo
2 titles – 108 matches – 8 goals – 15 assists - (7) Sergio Busquets
3 titles – 129 matches – 4 goals – 7 assists - (6) Toni Kroos
5 titles – 146 matches – 11 goals – 29 assists - (5) Clarence Seedorf
4 titles – 125 matches – 11 goals – 27 assists - (4) Zinedine Zidane
1 title – 80 matches – 14 goals – 31 assists - (3) Andrés Iniesta
4 titles – 130 matches – 11 goals – 29 assists - (2) Luka Modrić
5 titles – 123 matches – 9 goals – 17 assists - (1) Xavi Hernández
4 titles – 151 matches – 11 goals – 31 assists
