Kaka deserves top player accolade

(CNN) -- Despite the obvious claims of younger rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, few can really argue with the 96 football journalists who voted Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite as the 2007 World Footballer of the Year.

The prestigious Ballon d'Or award is widely regarded as the most prestigious individual prize in football and Kaka's inclusion on its coveted roll of honor is a testament to the 25-year-old Brazilian's current standing in world football.

When AC Milan defeated Liverpool in the Champions League final in Athens, avenging their heartbreaking loss to the same team in Istanbul two years previously, it enabled Kaka to fulfill his dream of holding aloft Europe's premier trophy -- a winner's medal he fully deserved after a sublime 90-minute performance.

Kaka's stock for both club and country has risen steadily since his move to the San Siro from Sao Paulo for a fee of just $8.5 million in the summer of 2003.

Unlike many a Brazilian sporting genius, Kaka did not hone his skills on the beach or the streets of a favela shanty town. He was born into a comfortable middle class Brasilia family, where football was not the only hope of a bright future.

However, it soon became clear that this particular boy had a very special skill and he was signed by Sao Paulo, after his family had moved there, at just eight years of age -- making his first team debut as an 18-year-old.

Kaka's progress was soon picked up by his national team coach and Felipe Scolari named the graceful midfielder in his 23-man squad for the 2002 World Cup finals, earning him a winners' medal despite playing only 19 minutes of the tournament in a group match against Costa Rica.

A year later, and Kaka was on his way to Milan. Within a month he had made the starting line-up and his 10 goals helped the Rossoneri lift the Scudetto and the European Super Cup.

Throughout his career, Kaka has always possessed the innate ability to score goals -- his record for both club and country sees him average roughly a goal every three games.

Yet to describe Kaka merely as a goalscoring midfielder would be doing him a massive injustice. Tall, elegant and blessed with astonishing skill, Milan and Brazil utilize Kaka's ability superbly.

Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti soon recognized Kaka's genius, changing his team's system to a 4-4-1-1, playing the Brazilian behind a main target man.

With Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso holding the central midfield area, Kaka has a license to roam in behind the lone striker, be it Filippo Inzaghi, Ronaldo or Alberto Gilardino.

And Kaka does this with devastating effect, running at the opposition with pace and power, finding defense-splitting passes or shooting from range with deadly accuracy be it from a dead-ball situation or open play.

The fly in the ointment for Milan comes in the shape of their poor form this season. Although they have already reached the last 16 of the Champions League, the club are floundering in Serie A and face the unthinkable prospect of not qualifying for next season's competition unless they win the trophy.

Real Madrid have coveted Kaka for the last two years -- expect the world transfer record to be smashed if Milan don't secure a place among Europe's elite. E-mail to a friend