Brazil's Kaka Tops in Soccer

Brazilian beats out star players from Portugal and Argentina

By Mike Buss, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 18, 2007 6:49 AM CST

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Brazil's Kaka Tops in Soccer — Brazilian soccer player Kaka, center, Cristano Ronaldo from Portugal, left, and Argentina's Lionel Messi, nominee for the election of the FIFA Menss World Player of the Year pose at a press conference ahead of the 17th Fifa World Player Gala in Zurich, Switzerland, Monday. (AP Photo/KEYSTONE/Walter... (Associated Press)

Brazilian soccer sensation Kaka is FIFA's World Player of the Year, the eighth time since 1991 a Brazilian player has claimed the honor. The 25-year-old midfielder led AC Milan to the title in the Champions league this year with 10 goals, the BBC reports. "It's really special for me—it was a dream for me just to play for Sao Paulo and one game for Brazil," he said.

On a night when Pele received a lifetime achievement award from soccer's international governing body, a humble Kaka easily beat out Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the balloting. Pele, widely considered the greatest player ever, praised his fellow countryman as a complete player. Among the women's players, Brazil's Marta was tops for the second straight year. (More soccer stories.)

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