Kaka takes his mind back to the days before he lived up the road from Mickey Mouse.
To
when he was one of the original world superstars, the Cristiano Ronaldo
and Lionel Messi of his day. To 2007, when he was deemed the best
player on the planet, receiving twice as many votes as those two young
pretenders to become the Ballon d'Or winner and FIFA World Player of the
Year.
In
the seven years since then, Ronaldo and Messi have fought for the crown
between them, but 2007 was Kaka's year; single-handedly obliterating
Manchester United over two legs in the Champions League semi-final at AC
Milan on his way to winning it and ending the tournament as top-scorer.
Kaka drives forward during Orlando City's 1-0 win against Houston Dynamo in Texas earlier this month
Sportsmail's Sam Cunningham chats with Kaka at the Alfond Hotel in the Winter Park area of Orlando
Kaka celebrates after scoring Orlando City's first ever Major League Soccer goal against New York City FC
Orlando fans celebrate after Kaka scores the first goal in the club's history against New York City FC
The Brazilian's huge grin is on full display as he shows off the Ballon d'O trophy in Paris, France, in 2007
Today
he is the star of Orlando City, playing out the final days of a
distinguished career on the doorstep of Disney World in the glorious
Sunshine State where we meet. But first we are discussing the £56million
transfer to Real Madrid in 2009 - a fee then putting him behind only
Zinedine Zidane as the world's most expensive player - where he would
win La Liga and the Copa del Rey under Jose Mourinho.
'His
ambition for victory sets Mourinho apart,' Kaka says of the Chelsea
manager. 'He wants to win every game, so he prepares all the smallest
details; in training, at the game, everything. I loved to work with him.
'He tries everything to extract the best from the players, to push them. This is what he can do better than anyone else.'
Many
consider Kaka, whose real name is Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite but
developed the nickname when his younger brother Digao could not
pronounce 'Ricardo' growing up, did not live up to his astronomical fee
during a four-year spell in Spain.
He
has admitted that he lacked consistent playing time under Mourinho for
the majority of his time there, despite their success together. Yet
Kaka's capacity to forgive, to forgo blame and bitterness, shines
through repeatedly over the course of this interview.
Kaka, pictured with Jose Mourinho in 2011, believes the Chelsea boss's ambition for victory sets him apart
Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Matias Laba (right) challenges Kaka for the ball at the Orlando Citrus Bowl
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