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
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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