Kaka's Return to AC Milan

June 3rd 2009, was the day Kaka left AC Milan and joined Real Madrid for an incredible fee of €68.5 million. The Brazilian had four seasons in Madrid, where he made 85 league appearances and scored 23 goals, he may have performed to a good level when picked but he never recreated his best form for Los Blancos and therefore never managed to justify the huge price tag.

In Milan, Kaka is a legend; in 2007 he won the FIFA Balon D’or award whilst in the red and black, and made two appearances in Champions League Finals, winning the tournament in 2007. He played 193 times in Serie A and netted on 70 occasions. His searing pace, wonderful eye for a pass and tendency to score from distance quite rightly made him one of the hottest talents in Europe, and certainly one of the top midfielders in the world. He now returns as a 31-year old who has lost some of the pace that used to rip Italian defences apart, but it is still a superb addition for the Rossoneri and one that will of course please the San Siro crowd.

With the non-existant transfer fee, one thing that should not affect the player is pressure. The brilliance he showed during his first spell may still be fresh in the memory of the Milan supporters, but they will understand that injuries combined with a fairly sudden decline in his talents make him half of the player he once was. He won’t be expected to carry the team to the Scudetto or to be the star to take them to their eighth European title meaning there is very little to lose for Kaka. He can enjoy the next couple of seasons at a club who adore him, maybe recapture some of his form of old and pick up a decent £80,000 a week while he’s at it.

He has of course been given the number 22 shirt that he had all that success wearing before his move to Spain. The question is where he will fit into the new Milan. The Rossoneri have completely changed since his departure; no longer to legends such as Massimo Ambrosini, Rino Gattuso, Pippo Inzaghi and Clarence Seedorf wear the red and black. Instead the club have shipped all the aging players out and added younger talents such as Stephan El Shaarawy, Mario Balotelli and Mattia Di Sciglio.

With the lack of creativity being the problem last season due to the club’s only real creative midfielder being Riccardo Montolivo, Milan have seemingly made it their aim to improve that midfield. Previous captain Ambrosini left the club for Fiorentina, while Andrea Poli was brought in from Sampdoria and academy product Bryan Cristante is expected to feature more. There is definitely room for Kaka in Allegri’s side; bonkers owner Silvio Berlusconi apparently wants his manager to play with two strikers this season with presumably an attacking midfielder behind them. This could be just the position for Kaka.

Nigel De Jong could be the deep-lying midfielder, Montolivo and Poli will be just in front with Kaka having the job of passing to the strikers. With the additions of Poli and now Kaka they seem sorted for midfield; suddenly they have the creativity that was needed last season and if Milan can find someone to share the weight of goals with Mario Balotelli then things could really click for them this season. Kaka could be that man; he may have lost pace but his finishing ability both inside and outside the penalty area is still as sharp as ever. Get the ball to the Brazilian in a shooting area and he’ll shine again.

There doesn’t seem to be a lot that can go wrong with this transfer. On the one hand if he doesn’t perform then it’s okay, it’ll be disappointing but at least he won’t have cost Milan too much money. On the other hand if he’s brilliant again then there are no doubts about whether the Rossoneri can challenge Napoli and Juventus for the title. Kaka is one of those players that no one can hate, he plays the game with a smile and used to be one of the stars of the game – everyone will be hoping that he can once again shine; if not then maybe back home to Brazil is the best place for him.