Kaka of AC Milan Awarded 2007 FIFA World Player Title
“A great player cannot exist without a great team. If my performances have been good I owe much of it to my team mates who put me in the best conditions to do well. In Tokyo, it was the victory of Milan, not of Kaka. And we are all very happy about this victory which brought us on top of the world. Every individual performance is the result of the team’s work.” - Kaka, AC Milan midfielder
AC Milan midfielder Ricardo Izecson Dos Santos Leite, or better known around the world as KAKA, was just named as the 2007 FIFA World Player less than 48 hours after leading AC Milan to the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup championship. In a poll of national team coaches and captains, Kaka received 1,047 votes compared with 504 for 2nd top vote-getter FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, followed by Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo who had 426 votes.
Kaka’s recent 2007 FIFA World Player Award is his third accolade this year, having won the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and also collecting the Ballon d’Or. The 25-year old Kaka has helped AC Milan win the 2006-07 UEFA Champions League title, and was the top-scorer of last season’s tournament with 10 goals. Kaka also provided 2 assists and 1 goal as they beat Argentina Primera Division club Boca Juniors 4-2 to win the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup in Yokohama, Japan.
BIGGEST ITALIAN SERIE A DERBY: AC Milan vs. Inter Milan
You can catch Kaka in action on Sunday, December 23, when they face Italian Serie A champions Inter Milan in one of the biggest rivals in Italian Soccer. AC Milan vs. Inter Milan will be definitely one of the biggest soccer events in Italian Serie A.
Italian Serie A Champions Inter Milan are unbeaten in 16 matches of the Serie A, and lead the standings with 40 points. Their closest rival in the standings is AS Roma, who have 33 points. AC Milan may have won the recent 2007 FIFA Club World Cup, but their performance in the Italian Serie A hasn’t been that impressive. In fact, AC Milan is in the 11th position with 18 points, 21 points behind Inter Milan.
Perhaps the momentum of their 2007 FIFA Club World Cup championship will also shine in the San Siro, which is the home pitch of AC Milan. However, AC Milan seem to have been jinxed on their home pitch as they can’t seem to win most of their home matches.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan have scored in every football match and are unbeaten in 16 matches so far this Italian Serie A season. Among those expected to be on the pitch for The Derby of Milan will be Inter Milan superstars Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Luis Figo, Hernan Crespo, David Suazo, Walter Samuel, Julio Cruz, Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti.
AC Milan will look to 2007 FIFA World Player Kaka, Filippo Inzaghi, Paolo Maldini, Serginho, Emerson, Cafu, Clarence Seedork, Alessandro Nesta and Alberto Gilarden to win it at the San Siro.
Odds for the Italian Serie A Derby of Milan Inter Milan vs. AC Milan are as follows:
To find out more about Italian Serie A betting odds, or to place a bet on AC Milan vs. Inter Milan and other upcoming football matches of the Italian Serie A, then click here.
