Former World best player, Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, popularly known as Ricardo Kaka is preparing his retirement from football as he will not be signing another contract with the Orlando City.
Kaka will conclude his MLS career after the match on Sunday against the Columbus Crew and will skip the season’s finale at Philadelphia on October 21.
He however will feature in a friendly match with Puerto Rico to benefit hurricane victims after Orlando City’s season concludes.
“I will honour this jersey till the end as always,” Kaka said.
His father along with long-time friend and Orlando City teammate Antonio Nocerino were among those close to Kaka who attended the press conference Wednesday.
Orlando City majority owner Flavio Augusto da Silva and CEO Alex Leitao sat on either side of Kaka during the announcement and thanked him for his contributions to the club.
“This is your home and these doors will always be open to you. This is your home and your name will always be honoured in this building,” Augusto da Silva said.
Kaka, 35, joined the club after previously being a FIFA World Player of the year, Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup Champion. He played in three World Cups, won a UEFA Champions League title with AC Milan, he also was a FIFA Club World Cup winner, a Serie A and La Liga champion.
His career began with Brazilian club Sao Paulo. Kaka played two seasons with AC Milan between 2003-09; 2013-14 spending four years with Real Madrid in between.
Orlando City signed Kaka in 2015 MLS season. He’s been the face of the club ever since, providing veteran leadership and guidance, and is the highest-paid player in the league with a $7.167 million contract.
His jersey is among the top-selling in MLS and he was named to ESPN’s 2017 World Fame 100 list, coming in at No. 18.
Kaka leaves as a three-time MLS All-Star and Orlando City’s all-time leader in assists, but he’s drawn criticism for multiple injuries.
He started and played in 28 of 34 games in 2015, scoring nine goals and seven assists. Last year, he started 23 of 24 appearances for nine goals and 10 assists, and this season he has 17 starts in 22 appearances, six goals and five assists with two regular-season games left.
Before thanking fans and saying his Orlando City teammates will have “a friend forever,” Kaka clarified remarks he made to Globo, which incorrectly implied that body aches and pains factored into his decision.
“Pain wasn’t and won’t be the base of my decision. As a soccer player, everybody has some sort of pain and we sacrifice our bodies,” he said. “My decision is not based on my physical condition.”
As for his next move, that’s an announcement for another time.
“What’s next for me is just this moment,” he said. “The only thing I know right now is that I’m not going to be an Orlando City player next season.”
The Brazilian however said that he looks forward to playing a least a season in his native Brazil before venturing into the coaching line.
