We go again! Episode 1 brought us the next Andrea Pirlo while Episode 2 touted the next Raul Gonzalez. We are in good company here and Episode 3 is no different - today @Adam_otbfm has pulled out all the stops to bring us another modern day replica of a past footballing icon, this time it’s Brazilian footballing royalty in the form of Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, who you may also know by a slightly different name: Kaka.
The rules are simple - any modern day replica identified must be of the same nationality as the legend at hand, and must be aged 23 or under in order to qualify and earn the mantle as the next big thing. Does today’s crop of modern day Brazilian youngsters have what it takes to produce the next Kaka? Let’s do this.
by @adam_otbfm
“There’s a young guy who plays for São Paulo called Kaká who plays just behind the front two. You don’t know anything about him in Europe, but watch him if he is chosen for the World Cup.”
“But kaka means ‘sh*t’ in Spanish.”
“I know, but he’s definitely not.”
Rivaldo was keen to stress the potential that Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (Kaká to you and I) had while he was still a prospect back in his native Brazil, and Rivaldo knows a thing or two about knocking a ball around, I’m sure you’ll agree.
For a few years in the early 2000’s, Kaká was arguably the greatest footballer on the planet, culminating in a Ballon d’Or trophy in 2007 - the last time somebody not named Lionel or Cristiano would receive the honour for a decade. One of his most iconic moments came in the Champions League Semi-Finals, where he powered past Darren Fletcher, flicked the ball over Gabriel Heinze and then caused him to collide with Patrice Evra as he nodded the ball through and slotted past Edwin van der Sar, leaving the Manchester United backline humiliated.
Kaká’s role in his prime years would be best described in Football Manager as a Shadow Striker, which has the following description in-game:
“The Shadow Striker operates as one of the team's main goal-scoring threats. Usually coupled with another forward in support, the shadow striker aggressively pushes up into goal-scoring positions as the ball moves into the final third and looks to close down opposing defenders when out of possession.”
Kaká was very often the most potent threat in a side containing the likes of Shevchenko, Inzaghi, Rui Costa, and for a brief period even an admittedly not in his prime Ronaldo. This in itself says a lot about the quality and impact Kaká had, but what exactly did he have in his locker that made him so exceptional? Using Football Manager we can have a look! By finding his key attributes we can take a look at the current crop of Brazilian Attacking Midfielders and try to find ourselves the ‘next’ Kaká in Football Manager 2021.
Rewind ⏪
We’re going back to 2008, the year after Kaká’s Ballon d’Or win, and his last at Milan before his move to Real Madrid. Milan would only finish third this year, meaning he somehow left Italy with just one Serie A title, however considering he also won the Supercoppa Italia, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup with the Rossoneri, his trophy cabinet wasn’t too bare leaving Milan.
Kaká had it all. He was technically gifted and endlessly creative, but was also a threatening goalscorer in his own right, both from long-range and within the penalty area. His finishing and long shooting were at the same world-class level as his dribbling, touch, and passing, while his flair, vision and off the ball ability were only matched by his composure in front of goal. A perhaps under-rated quality was his physicality. At 6’1” he wasn’t the typical diminutive playmaker, and could use his exceptional pace, power and agility to breeze past opponents as if they weren’t even there. To find a worthy successor within FM21 is going to be a tough ask, but that’s what we’re here to do, so using Kaká’s key attributes let’s jump into the game to find a Brazilian talent under the age of 23 to whom we can give the official #WeStreamFM seal of approval.
🔎 Dribbling
🔎 Finishing
🔎 Passing
🔎 Flair
🔎 Off the Ball
🔎 Pace
🔎 Strength
🔎 Brazilian
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Reinier is the man that I believe is the closest incarnation we could have to Kaká in the game currently, although he had competition. Lucas Paquetá looked a good option, although at the age of 22 he’s very much a creator rather than a goalscorer and unlikely to drastically change his game. Malcom is a very good player who has many of the attributes that Kaká himself had, most notably his pace, flair and off the ball, but lacks the frame and strength to power past players in the same way, and doesn’t have the finishing or composure to be a regular goal-scorer. Rodrygo offers the goal-scoring threat, but would have to work hard to learn to play centrally without drifting back out to the wings where he is more suitable, plus his vision is a clear deficiency that would hold him back. Antony is another winger who on the surface looks a decent option behind the striker, but much like Paquetá and Malcom he isn’t a natural finisher and his slender frame and lack of strength doesn’t really fit the Kaká mould.
Reinier himself isn’t the finished article yet, of course, and has work to do if he is to truly emulate Kaká, most notably on his Finishing (11) and Off the Ball (12). I do believe however that with the right training regime and the amount of potential he possesses, he could go on to become one of the great attacking midfielders, both scoring and creating goals for fun, just as the main man himself did for so many years in this position. Reinier is officially dubbed the next Kaká, and rightfully gets the WeStreamFM seal of approval ☑️.
Thanks for reading, and a huge thanks to WeStreamFM for the opportunity to contribute to the series!
Adam.
Enjoyed this? Make sure to check out Adam’s wide variety of quality FM content on his own blog here.
Interested in writing a Guest Author piece for WeStreamFM or have a football icon you would like to try and replicate? Drop us a DM or feel free to reach out to @MaddFM directly.
