#ONTHISDAY: KAKÁ WINS THE BALLON D'OR
History
Fifteen years have passed since Ricardo Kaká won the Ballon d'Or. It is a coveted award, that he won ahead of two icons in Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, becoming the eighth player in the history of AC Milan to do so. The date was 2 December 2007, which saw well-deserved plaudits for the Brazilian star's year as the sixth AC Milan player to receive such individual prestige. On the anniversary we celebrate the Rossoneri legend by rewinding the tape, starting from the beginning of the 2006/07 season to the challenges that allowed him and AC Milan to conquer Europe, and then the world.
AC Milan 1-0 Red Star, 9 August 2006 (Champions League)
The run-up to the seventh Champions League win started in the preliminaries for Kaká and the Rossoneri. The two-legged tie against Red Star opened the 2006/07 season and the Brazilian immediately proved decisive. It was the assist for Inzaghi's goal in the first leg that sealed the win. The result did not change and AC Milan brought home a crucial victory, which was then topped off with the win in Belgrade in the return game (1-2).
AC Milan 4-1 Anderlecht, 1 November 2006 (Champions League)
Two goals in the first three matches of the Champions League followed by a hat-trick in the fourth game. At San Siro, Ancelotti's AC Milan, with a 100% record and on their way to the Round of 16, hosted Anderlecht to end the group stage, and Kaká caused chaos: three goals in 56 minutes knocked the Belgians out.
AC Milan 3-0 Catania, 20 December 2006 (Serie A)
December ended with a bang for the Rossoneri's number 22. First Catania at San Siro, then the away match in Udine, all in three days. Both ended 3-0, with Kaka bagging three. Against the Sicilians, the Brazilian opened and closed the scoring, putting the Rossoneri ahead after just 4 minutes with a right-footed shot and netting the final goal with a powerful finish at the front post.
AC Milan 1-0 Celtic AET, 7 March 2007 (Champions League)
The first leg of the round of 16 - which ended 0-0 - had left everything open for the return leg at San Siro. Even on home turf, however, regulation time proved insufficient to decide a winner, with AC Milan having crashed into the Scottish wall and hitting goalposts several times. It was Kaká who stepped up to the plate and settled the contest with a solo effort in the 93rd minute: an unstoppable run with the ball at his feet and a left-footer under Boruc's legs as AC Milan went 1-0 up and into the quarter-finals.
AC Milan 2-2 Bayern Munich, 3 April 2007 (Champions League)
The Champions League match started a memorable month for Kaká. The quarter-finals of Europe's top competition pitted AC Milan and Bayern Munich against each other. Kaká was again the leading figure at San Siro and, in the 83rd minute, gave his side a short-lived 2-1 lead from a penalty kick after yet another fantastic performance. It was only momentary because in the final minutes came the Bavarians' equaliser with Van Buyten's second of the game that kept the tie open ahead of the return leg in Bavaria. A little more than a week later, however, AC Milan went on to win in Germany, thus making the semi-finals.
Ascoli 2-5 AC Milan, 18 April 2007 (Serie A)
A brilliant first half with a brace in just 35 minutes, before being substituted at half-time. In the away match against the Bianconeri, Kaká scored his seventh and eighth league goals. An important win, which kept the Rossoneri in fourth place in the table, a position Ancelotti's side retained until the end of the season.
Manchester United 3-2 AC Milan, 24 April 2007 (Champions League)
An historic night. At Old Trafford, a prodigious brace by the Brazilian - in the 22nd and 35th minute - overturned Cristiano Ronaldo's early goals in the semi-final first leg. First a left-footed effort that left van der Sar with no chance, then a run that went down in Rossoneri history, for what he himself would describe as his finest goal in an AC Milan shirt. Dida's long throw, over Heinze and headed on before finishing with a cool right-footed attempt in front of the goalkeeper. The 3-2 final score in favour of the English side did not dent the hopes for the Rossoneri who, also thanks to another goal from Kaká, in the return leg would cruise past Ferguson's Red Devils 3-0 in the famous 'Perfect Match'.
AC Milan 2-1 Liverpool, 23 May 2007 (Champions League)
23 May 2007, it was the day of the Final in Athens. AC Milan took historic revenge on Liverpool after the bitter defeat two years earlier, with Kaká leaving his mark. After Inzaghi had given AC Milan the lead at the end of the first half, the Brazilian rose in the 82nd minute and set him up again deep into the box with a through ball that left the English defence motionless. Inzaghi did not slip up: it was 2-0 and the Rossoneri - in spite of Kuyt's goal that halved the deficit - won their 7th Champions League, kings of Europe again.
AC Milan 3-1 Sevilla, 31 August 2007 (European Super Cup)
Winning the Champions League gave the Rossoneri the opportunity to compete for another trophy to enrich their cabinet. The European Super Cup between AC Milan and Sevilla - the UEFA Cup-winning side - provided a spectacle at the Stade Louis-II. After hitting the post in the opening minutes, Kaká rounded off the win by slotting home on the rebound from his own penalty kick, making the score 3-1 in the end.
