Kaka wins Ballon d'Or

Brazilian midfielder Kaka kisses the trophy after winning the prestigious Ballon d'Or award in Boulogne-Billancourt outside Paris on Sunday.Photo: AFP

AC Milan's Brazilian midfielder Kaka was named on Sunday as France Football's Player of the Year winning the prestigious Ballon d'Or award.
Born under the name of Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, he succeeds Italy's World Cup winning captain and defender Fabio Cannavaro and comes two years after the last Brazilian winner of the trophy, Barcelona's Ronaldinho.
The 25-year-old Kaka notably played a starring role in AC Milan's triumphant Champions League campaign scoring 10 goals and setting up the winner for Filippo Inzaghi in the final against Liverpool.
He received 444 points in the France Football vote, easily ahead of Manchester United's Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo who had 277 with Barcelona's Argentinian midfielder Lionel Messi placing third with 255 points.
"This is very special for me - it culminates an astonishing year for me," Kaka said.
"It's the top prize around and the only way to win something like this is to play for a team like AC Milan. It's great to be part of a team that wins."
Kaka's brother Digao was in Paris for the award ceremony and paid tribute to his brother.
"It's very emotional for me to be here, to see my brother receive this trophy, and to know that he is the best makes me proud," he said.
Kaka's wife Caroline and mother Cristina were also amongst the guests.
"It's a great honour as the wife of Kaka to be at this ceremony. I know how important it was for my husband to win this trophy," said Caroline.
"This is a great achievement. Ever since he was young I saw our son dedicate himself," added Cristina.
Born in the capital Brasilia, Kaka started off with Sao Paulo before moving to Europe with AC Milan in 2003. He has been capped 54 times for his country and scored 19 goals.

Factfile

Afp, Paris
Factfile of newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner Kaka:
Full name: Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite
Date of birth: April 22, 1982
Place of birth: Brasilia, Brazil
Nationality: Brazilian
Height: 1m 86cm (6ft 2in)
Weight: 76kg
Brazil caps: 54
Brazil goals: 19
Brazil debut: January 31, 2002 (6-0 win v Bolivia)
Clubs: Sao Paulo (200-2003), AC Milan (2003-present)
Appearances/goals: Sau Paulo 59/23, AC Milan 203/63
Club honours: World Cup 2002, Confederations Cup 2005, Champions League 2007, Serie A 2004, European Super Cup 2003 and 2007, Italian Super Cup 2004
Individual honours: Ballon d'Or 2007, UEFA Club Footballer of the Year 2007, FIFPro World Player of the Year 2007, Champions League top goalscorer 2006-07, Serie A Footballer of the Year 2004, Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year 2004 and 2006.

Past Winners

Afp, Paris
Last ten Ballon d'Or, Footballer of the Year winners:
2007: Kaka (BRA/AC Milan)
2006: Fabio Cannavaro (ITA/Juventus then Real Madrid)
2005: Ronaldinho (BRA/FC Barcelona)
2004: Andrei Shevchenko (UKR/AC Milan)
2003: Pavel Nedved (CZE/Juventus)
2002: Ronaldo (BRA/Inter Milan then Real Madrid)
2001: Michael Owen (ENG/Liverpool)
2000: Luis Figo (POR/Real Madrid)
1999: Rivaldo (BRA/FC Barcelona)
1998: Zinedine Zidane (FRA/Juventus)

Vote results

The France Football vote for the Ballon d'Or Player of the Year award:-
1. Kaka (BRA), 444 pts
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (POR), 277 pts
3. Lionel Messi (ARG), 255 pts
4. Didier Drogba (CIV), 108 pts
5. Andrea Pirlo (ITA), 41 pts
6. Ruud van Nistelrooy (NED), 39 pts
7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (SWE), 31 pts
8. Cesc Fabregas (ESP), 27 pts
9. Robinho (BRA), 24 pts
10. Francesco Totti (ITA), 20 pts