How good was peak Kaka?

harms

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Definitely not. But comparative to Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Zidane..might I mention Zico here? Same tier. Or below?
I'd definitely put Zico ahead in the second-ish tier. Kaka had the ability to get into the third, but, even without the injuries, I think he had the same issues as Laudrup did, a bit. He just didn't have that insane drive inside of him that forced him to constantly improve and challenge himself. Although, when he was on song, it was pure magic.
 

Sylar

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Kaka moving to Madrid wasn't bad
Except it followed with Ronaldo joining straight after and madrid suited Cristiano more

He was great that year he tore us apart and the year or two before that.

I remember city were in for him but obviously it was a few years too early City for Kaka sake

He did glide across the pitch which was fun to watch when it wasn't against your team
 

RUCK4444

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I always tended to lean towards the opinion that he was probably somewhat overrated.

That said his best couple of seasons were awesome.

I think his style of play had a certain beauty making his best days stick in the memory.

Ultimately his best didn’t last nearly long enough to be thought of as a great.
 

youngrell

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Fantastic player. I’m a big fan of top corner finishes and this guy did it often. Moved effortlessly across the turf too.

Shame his peak was so short.
 

Lynty

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Possibly the 5/6th best Brazilian since 2000.

So no where near GOAT. Great player though.
 

SambaBoy

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Not really comparable to anyone in the modern game. Probably closest is Pogba but Pogba gets the ball deeper and can slow the game right down whereas Kaka would be more advanced and more direct. Think Pogba's debut against Southampton and Kaka was like that consistently but with more of a goal threat.

Just simply getting the ball and running through the middle of the pitch where there are gaps and no-one could stop him due to his sheer pace and strength. Was also very technically good as well as evident by some of his passes and intelligent touches.
 

einstein

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At his peak, which spanned only 3-4 seasons, he was a player who had everything. His speed and acceleration was second to none. He would run past people with ease. He could create chances and he could finish chances. His long range shooting was amazing too. And boy could he pick a pass and split defenses. To add to that he had all the trickery and dribbling in his locker too. And he did all this against the best teams at the biggest stage. Its a shame his peak only lasted 3-4 seasons and he was never the same player once injuries crept up. If he had continued playing at the 2005-2008 level for longer, we would have been talking about him in the same breath as Zidane and Ronaldinho.
 
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Righteous Steps

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He wouldn’t have worked as a winger. Some are saying he’d do even better now, I disagree, he needed a position most teams don’t use any more. Top player, when at his best over two seasons or so. Nowhere near greatest Brazilian discussions so I don’t see much of a chance of him being in the top tier of all-time players, I’m not sure there were that many great attackers in that mid 00s period.
it doesn’t matter about position when you’ve got a player with that combination of technique and athleticism, he could player all across the front line and shine.
 

Righteous Steps

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I wouldn't think so, I would say De Bruyne is the more hard working team player with a real good eye for a pass and can score a goal while Kaka done all his stuff in the attacking third.
De Bruyne loses out on athleticism though he doesn’t have the pace Kaka did and can’t power through teams like Kaka did. His crossing is better, but Kaka was every bit as good of a passer and a better finisher I think.
 

meninred

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He was a combination of players but didnot last long. He was mix of xavi and zidane. Debryne as mentioned is the closest to him from current players.
 

mu4c_20le

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If he had continued playing at the 2005-2008 level for longer, we would have been talking about him in the same breath as Zidane and Ronaldinho.
You could say the same for Ronaldinho 04-07, so I do think they can be mentioned in the same breath, as they both had a rather short peak before starting to decline.
 

P-Nut

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One of my favourite players to go back and watch. He had everything in his locker when he was at his peak.

I agree with others he doesn't really fit into the modern game too well.

He's not a possession based #10 that will dictate a game, and he's not a good enough finisher to play as a SS/ Deep forward.

Nowadays if a team plays with a 10the very best are expected to run the game, whilst also providing goals and assists. I think it would put too much strain on him to drop deep and overload the midfield.

Building the midfield and attack of a 4231 using only players now playing I think you'd need a Kante type as part of the 2 and a peak level Modric next to him, giving Kaka the freedom to do what he does best.

Modric Kante
De Bruyne Kaka Mane
Lewandowski

Something like that would probably bring out the best in him.
 

Mb194dc

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Unbelievable player at his peak in 2008 ish, one of the best ball carrier in football history at peak.

Similar decline to Ronaldinho, sometimes those who shine brightest burn out.

Suffered a precipitous decline after moving to RM and never the same again.
 

Hound Dog

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Not GOAT tier, but he was deservedly a Ballon d'Or winner - not out of place with the other players who won it.

It is sad that his peak was so short - I have not seen many players that had his ability to simply glide past their markers. Messi and R9 were probably better at it than him but, apart from them, I struggle to think of anyone else in the 25 years that I have been watching football.
 

Infordin

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I agree with others he doesn't really fit into the modern game too well.

He's not a possession based #10 that will dictate a game, and he's not a good enough finisher to play as a SS/ Deep forward.

Nowadays if a team plays with a 10the very best are expected to run the game, whilst also providing goals and assists. I think it would put too much strain on him to drop deep and overload the midfield.
You don’t think that Kaka could have played as a winger?

I have seen relatively slow #10 players like Coutinho, Ozil and Isco play on the wing deliver truly great performances.

Kaka was much faster and more athletic than any of them.
 

BrownRecluse

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I saw him play against the USA in Chicago and he literally ran through the midfield like a bullet. I remember thinking to myself that he was unbelievably fast. Fantastic player, but will always wonder “what if” about his injuries.
 

SpyLuke10

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He was the best in the world for about 1 to 1.5 years. After Ronaldinho and before Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
 

rollingstoned1

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i don't rate him THAT highly and feel he should not have won the WPOTY in 2007, especially when Ronaldo had a much better season and the only reason he won it was because of that overrated performance in the CL semi final which wasn't even that good against a makeshift united defence. The best player in that first leg by some distance was Rooney.
 

rollingstoned1

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Unbelievable player at his peak in 2008 ish, one of the best ball carrier in football history at peak.

Similar decline to Ronaldinho, sometimes those who shine brightest burn out.

Suffered a precipitous decline after moving to RM and never the same again.
ronaldinho's peak was a hell of a lot more impressive than Kaka's though, there is no debate at all. Had he kept it up he would have ended up as one of the best ever to play the game.
 

Acheron

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He was my favorite player at the time and was expecting a lot more of him in Real Madrid than the likes of Cristiano. He wasn't the same after his injury as he relied a lot on his pace but also was very skilled which made him a very explosive player on his prime with a very powerful shot. So yeah, I'll remember him as a class player that I always enjoyed to watch him play.

Anyway it was nice having him on the team even if he couldn't perform at his best and this is one of my favorite goals when he was here, it was a great play in which Ronalo, Özil, Kaká and Benzema all combined a series of passes for an awesome counter-attack.

 

RedRonaldo

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He was quite good during his peak, but I’ve always thought he was abit overrated back then. The season he won Ballon D’or, well yeh he was great in CL (10 goals in 15 CL games) and won it in the end, but over the course of season he wasn’t really that special (8 goals in 31 Serie A games), Ronaldo should have won it to be fair.



And of course his peak last very short, maybe only for around 2 or 3 years at most, then like many Brazilian before him, his form drop drastically after his transfer to Real. That’s really a pity.

I’d say during his peak he was just behind Figo and Rivaldo etc. Over his career is very tricky, won’t rate him highly obviously, but he was still Ballon D’or winner, maybe same tier as Owen then.
 
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gr3yham3

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Unbelievable player at his peak in 2008 ish, one of the best ball carrier in football history at peak.

Similar decline to Ronaldinho, sometimes those who shine brightest burn out.

Suffered a precipitous decline after moving to RM and never the same again.
I wonder what would have happened if he had joined us with SAF at the helm instead of going to Real back then... similar as to how I wonder how Ronaldinho would have turned out under SAF.
 

Son

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Definitely not. But comparative to Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Zidane..might I mention Zico here? Same tier. Or below?
I would put him slightly above Rivaldo at his very best but only due to him lifting bigger trophies. Rivaldo probably had more productivity over a number of years so they are pretty close.

Ronaldinho and especially Zidane were a tier above. Xavi and Iniesta despite not playing the same position were also superior despite never winning a Balon D’Or.

Kaka was quality though! Joa Felix reminds me of his style these days so it will be fun to see how he develops.
 

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The more I see his highlights during his prime, the more comparable he is to Bale.

He is like Bale, minus the Brazilian Ginga.
 

11101

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He had an incredible balance and poise when running with the ball that combined with his pace meant he was almost unstoppable. I dont think he had an awful lot else to his game, which is why when his pace went he fell off a cliff.

And that pass v Liverpool is still the best I've ever seen.
 

B20

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He was overrated. Rarely did much in the league but propped his reputation in Europe with a few good runs. Not at the level of most other balon d'or winners and a level below a bunch of players that never won it as well.

Every time someone put a dedicated defensive midfielder in to nullify him, he was nullified. Saw loads of games where he ought to have done more and he was invisible.

He was devastating when given space to play obviously (United's midfield, Liverpool without hamann/Mascherano).
 

B20

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I would put him slightly above Rivaldo at his very best but only due to him lifting bigger trophies. Rivaldo probably had more productivity over a number of years so they are pretty close.
This is what I mean by overrated.

Rivaldo curbstomps Kaka in a direct comparison.

Also the "bigger trophies" argument is just silly. Kaka won the world Cup with a single appearance off the bench (and did nothing at the world cups he was a starter in). Rivaldo was one of the biggest stars of the tournament. Looks great in a comparison on Wikipedia though.
 
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B20

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I'd be interested to see who you have ahead of him, I'd be struggling beyond R9 and Ronaldinho.
Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Neymar.

He's closer to Roberto Carlos, Alves and Adriano than to those four, imo.