Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (born April 22, 1982 in Brasília, Brazil), simply known as Kaká, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Brazil and the Serie A club A.C. Milan.
He got his nickname "Kaká" because his little brother Rodrigo could not pronounce the word Ricardo when they were young. Rodrigo called his older brother "Caca" which Ricardo later changed to "Kaká".

Ricky risked his life by badly jumping off a diving-board which caused him the fracture of a vertebra. This could have meant the end of his football career but he believes Jesus allowed him to recover and become the star footballer he now is. For this reason, every time he scores he points his fingers to the sky as a sign of thanks.

Club Career:

Kaká made his debut at Sao Paolo FC. in 2001 when he was 18 years old. In the first season, he scored 12 goals in 27 appearances, and 10 goals in 22 appearances in the following season. At the age of 17, while he was still still at the youth squad, Sao Paulo was set to sell Kaká to Turkish 1st division side Gaziantespor. The deal did not occur, however, because the manager of Gaziantespor, Nurullah Sağlam, and the clubs board refused to pay a price of $1.5m for the 17 year old. After joining Sao Paolo FC senior squad, his performance attracted attention from European clubs.

He joined AC Milan in 2003 for US $8.5 m, a fee described in hind-sight as "peanuts" by club owner. Within a month, he became a first team regular, an he has been a starter ever since.

On April 9, 2006, he scored his first Rossoneri hat-trick against Chievo Verona. All three goals were scored in the second half.
In 2006, Real Madrid showed an interest in signing the 24 year old star, but both Milan and Kaká refused to sell. Kaká signed a contract extension until 2011.

Watch a compilation of Kaká's best goals with Ac Milan and the Brazilian national team: