Former Real Madrid playmaker Kaka has hailed current star Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona’s Leo Messi and says he is the last Ballon d’Or winner to have been born on this planet.
The Brazilian, who now plays his football for Orlando Pirates in the MLS, won the coveted individual honour when still an AC Milan player in 2007. Since then, the Ballon d’Or has been won by either Ronaldo and Messi as the pair have spent the best part of a decade breaking all sorts of footballing records.
Speaking to Marca, Kaka said it was an honour for him to still be one of only four Ballon d’Or winners still playing football – Ronaldinho being the other.
“Ronaldinho, Cristiano, Messi and myself are the only Ballon d’Or winners who are still playing. It fills me with pride to stand alongside these great players, and to be the last player to have won the award before Messi and Ronaldo. You could say that I was the last Ballon d’Or winner to have been born on this planet,” he stated.
He also reflected on his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, saying he enjoyed the experience despite not playing as much as he would have liked under Jose Mourinho.
“I always acted very professionally and respected the decisions he made. My relationship with him wasn’t bad. It’s true that there were certain things that I didn’t agree with, but I had no choice but to keep on working hard, and that’s just what I did,” Kaka added.
