Ricardo Kaka’ was probably the last person we would expect to see red in South Africa.
“They’d been talking to me about a kid in Brazil. I’d never heard of Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite. From the name he sounded more like a televangelist and that wasn’t far wrong. He looked like a Jehovah’s witness.
I asked around and everybody said the same thing: ‘He has potential, he plays in the hole, he’s not very quick. In Italy he could be in trouble in tight spaces.’ I won’t say who said that as I don’t want to embarrass them.”
Carlo Ancelotti, former manager of Kaka’ at AC Milan.
Source: The Times of London, May 30, 2009.
During the second group tie against Cote d’Ivoire, the Brazilian star was sent off for a highly controversial second bookable offense. This was only his third ejection and first outside of Brazil during a highly successful career.
In comments made to the Milan sports daily, La Gazzetta dello Sport, the normally reserved Brazilian leveled veiled criticism on Diego Maradona, discussed the support by Cristiano Ronaldo and alluded to what his grandmother, Vera, told him after the game about the French match official, Stephane Lannoy. He also voiced his disappointment not to face Portugal on Friday from Durban.
On Maradona
La rivalità tra Brasile ed Argentina continua a livello verbale con Kakà che ironizza sull’ex Pibe de Oro.
“È divertente che a parlare del gol di Luis Fabiano sia uno come Maradona, che di gol di mano se ne intende“.
Translation:
The rivalry between Brazil and Argentina continued on a verbal level by Kaka who was sarcastic about the former Golden Boy, Maradona.
“It’s funny that the goal by Luis Fabiano is spoken like the one by Maradona that was an intentional hand ball.”
Support from Cristiano Ronaldo
“Comunque mi fa pensare che sui tabelloni luminosi abbiano fatto rivedere l’azione del gol di Fabiano e non quella della mia espulsione, che non è stata frutto di un mio corto circuito mentale ma di una simulazione. Forse sarebbe meglio che la Fifa non facesse rivedere niente. Anche Cristiano Ronaldo, con cui mi sono sentito al telefono, ha detto che la mia espulsione è ingiusta“.
“Well, it makes me think that all of the major media have replayed the events surrounding the goal by Luis Fabiano and not my expulsion that was not caused by my mental short-circuit but by simulation. Perhaps it would be better that FIFA didn’t review anything. Cristiano Ronaldo, with whom I’ve spoken by telephone, also said that my expulsion was unjust.”
On His Second Yellow Card and His Grandmother
E sul secondo cartellino giallo, che gli è costato la terza espulsione di tutta la sua carriera (le due precedenti quando giocava nel San Paolo), Kakà ribadisce che il suo avversario ha simulato:
“Perché è accaduto ciò che si vede in ogni partita. Se io mi fossi comportato da irresponsabile avrei chiesto scusa ai miei compagni e a voi giornalisti. Invece non vi posso riferire cosa mi ha detto mia nonna Vera (con cui parla sempre dopo le partite, ndr) a proposito dell’arbitro: sono parole irripetibili“.
Translation:
And on his second yellow card, that cost him his third expulsion over his entire career (the two preceding ones occurred when he played at Sao Paolo), Kaka’ emphasized that his opponent simulated:
“Because it’s happened and you see it in every game. If I would have behaved irresponsibly, I would have apologized to my teammates and to you journalists. Instead, I can’t even tell you what my grandmother Vera (with whom he always speaks after games) said about the referee: they are unrepeatable words.”
On Not Playing against Portugal
“È un peccato non poter giocare contro la Nazionale del mio amico Cristiano Ronaldo, perché lì ci sono tre o quattro brasiliani naturalizzati (Deco, Bruno Alves, Liedson e Pepe, ndr), è una specie di derby e nel corso degli anni si è sviluppata una grande rivalità“.
“It’s a shame not be able to play against the national team of my friend, Cristiano Ronaldo, because there are three or four naturalized Brazilians (Deco, Bruno Alves, Liedson and Pepe) and it is a special type of derby. Over the course of years, it has developed into a great rivalry.”
Italian source: La Gazzetta dello Sport, June 22, 2010.
Steve Amoia is a freelance writer, editor and translator from Washington, D.C. He writes the World Football Commentaries blog. He has written for AC Cugini Scuola Calcio (Italian soccer school), Football Media, Keeper Skool and Soccerlens.
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