Brazilian impresses in draw with Barcelona.
While he hasn’t been shy in revealing his joy at returning to AC Milan and playing at the San Siro in front of his adoring supporters, there was substance behind the words for Kaka on Tuesday night.
The 31-year-old delivered a promising performance in which he not only showed signs of his old self with the ball at his feet, but played an integral role for the team defensively.
His effort was all the more impressive considering that he has only just returned from an injury setback, during which he made the headlines after he requested to not be paid his salary while he was on the sidelines.
However, while there were never any questions regarding Kaka as a person, his footballing ability had been under scrutiny ahead of the decision to bring him back to Milan with sceptics suggesting that he was perhaps over the hill.
Nevertheless, after a confident display against the Catalan giants in which he demonstrated the type of acceleration to get his past his man that was synonymous with his play during his first spell at the club, he undoubtedly silenced a few critics.
Adding much needed imagination and creativity to an otherwise starved Rossoneri squad, there is the potential for the Brazilian to play a vital role for the club moving forward this season.
His performance was all the more impressive when considering that he has yet to achieve full match fitness, but his defensive effort showed that his determination is still there and as he becomes stronger he will hope to have an even bigger influence on games.
Naturally, there will be suggestions that the fact that this is a World Cup year may be playing some part in his renaissance, an argument further compounded by the fact that he will want to participate in his homeland.
However, for now he will need to fully focus on staying healthy and performing for Milan, where he will receive the love, support and environment that he needs to flourish.
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