FIFA’s World Player of the Year is Kaka

By: Martha | December 17th, 2007

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Ricky Kaka received the FIFA World Player of the Year Award today. At the end of November, we were told he was a member of a very deserving top three (along with Lionel Messi, who finished second in the voting, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who was third), and today the trophy is officially his, though FIFA seem to be dragging their feet in getting out the more-interest-than-the-award list of which national team captains voted for which player.

As he grinned at the press with his shiny new toy at his side, the man who has picked up more trophies than anyone else in the past few months said “In football there are no individual prizes.” Aw, well that’s a nice thought. A massive lie, obviously, but a nice thought.

On the women’s side, another Brazilian, Marta, took home the award for the second year in a row. Still only 21, she looks set to completely transform the women’s game before her career ends, and seems like she could take home an unimaginable number of these awards before anyone else truly approaches her level.

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Category: World Football

Tags: Cristiano Ronaldo, FIFA World Player of the Year, Kaka, Marta, Messi, World Football

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• Hana |  December 17th, 2007 at 2:38 pm

  
  
  

  I’m a huge fan of both players, so major congrats to both! Forza Milan! Marta will never cease to amaze me…she’s beyond brilliant. she’s seriously gonna win this award for the next 10 years. I’m glad she’s getting recognition for her total kickass-ness (i remember ibra once saying she could outrun the Brazilian men’s team) I really wish I could watch whole matches of her, besides the WWC, instead of trying to satisfy myself with compilations.

  Posted from United States

  

• Martha |  December 17th, 2007 at 2:42 pm

  
  
  

  I know I’m a terrible person, but I really never could watch much women’s football until this year’s World Cup, and tht was entirely down to Brazil and Marta — she really is just mind-blowingly talented. (And: Reason #410 to love Zlatan: His massive respect for Marta.)

  Hana, Sweden has a really well-supported, well-run professional women’s league where Marta plays, I wonder if there are matches online somewhere …

  Posted from United States

  

• Hana |  December 17th, 2007 at 3:08 pm

  
  
  

  Yeah, Zlatan’s huge respect for her kind of sealed my love for him. damn him for being so amazing. i actually only really started to follow women’s soccer last year when my coach talked about marta at practice. The WWC was the first time i really got the chance to watch matches as well.

  you’re right about sweden, but it’s been hard trying to find streams online. if you ever come across any, be sure to let me know.

  Posted from United States

  

• Bruno Romani |  December 17th, 2007 at 5:07 pm

  
  
  

  it’s all about brazil..

  Posted from Brazil

  

• Musab |  December 17th, 2007 at 7:43 pm

  
  
  

  Here’s a little factoid many might not know about Kaka. A couple of years ago, Turkish club Gaziantepspor scouted Kaka and we;re close to buy the 18 yr old. However they felt that “1 million dollars is too much for an 18 yr old Brazilian” Pretty sad ain’t it?

  Who knows what would have happened if he came to Turkey? He probably would have disappeared and nobody would have heard of him.

  Posted from United States

  

• Luis |  December 18th, 2007 at 11:02 am

  
  
  

  Congrats to Kaka. Marta is unbelievable. Ronaldo wins it next year.

  Posted from United States

  

• kelvin |  December 21st, 2007 at 8:12 am

  
  
  

  kaka is the man i love so much as an acmilan fans i love you kaka

  Posted from United States

  

• augusto |  December 26th, 2007 at 2:07 pm

  
  
  

  As for the over-talented little Marta, I have
  two ideas of handicaps that, in spite of all her huge succes, still block her way up.
  One is that she´s not being properly used in her teams,I mean she would yeald more if she were. Both in Umea and in her national team.
  In brazilian team is understandable, because marta has huge responsibilities and the team effects almost no training before entering the competitions. But in her team, it´s unexcusable fm the coach and the management.
  Don´t force her to do every function, hers and everybody´elses, except the goalie.She´s
  human, god´s sake.
  Course this is possible and feasible.Let her genius work where it works best: just the others should help, cover positions and recognize talent in practice.

  Posted from United States

  

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