Kaká made his international debut in January 2002 against Bolivia. He was a part of the national squad at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but did not see much action even as Brazil won the World Championship, playing just 19 minutes of a first round match against Costa Rica. In 2003, he was the captain for the Gold Cup tournament in the US and Mexico, leading Brazil to second place. This feat included scoring key goals against Colombia. Later, he was in action at the 2004 Copa América and the 2005 Confederations Cup, which were both won by Brazil, with Kakà scoring in the Confederation Cup final win over Argentina. (During the postmatch celebration, he and several of his teammates sported T-shirts with "Jesus Loves You" written in different languages.) He finished in joint tenth place in the voting for the 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award. In the 2005 competition he finished two places higher. More recently, he has helped Brazil qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Kaká has matured as a player and is currently considered one of the best Brazilian footballers. He scored Brazil's first goal in the 2006 FIFA World Cup against Croatia on 13 June 2006.

In the first match for Brazil, in group F, Kaká scored a goal in the 44th minute against Croatia. A left footed strike from 25 meters out led Brazil to victory, 1-0. After the match, the media regarded him as the only member of the "magic quintet" – comprising of Adriano, Kaká, Ronaldo, Robinho and Ronaldinho – that produced. They were eliminated by France.

Kaká made his debut at São Paulo FC in 2001 when he was only 19 years old. That season he scored 12 goals in 27 appearances, and a further 10 goals in 22 appearances the following season, soon attracting attention from European clubs, and it was Milan who won the race to sign him.

He joined AC Milan in 2003 for $8.5m, a fee described as "peanuts" by club owner Silvio Berlusconi. Within a month, he had become part of the first team and has held his position ever since. His first appearance came in a match at Ancona, which Milan won 2-0. In all, he scored 10 goals in 30 appearances that season, winning the Italian Serie A Championship and the European Super Cup.

Kaká was an integral part of the team in the 2004-05 season, usually playing in a withdrawn role behind team-mate and good friend, striker Andriy Shevchenko, in a five-man midfield. He scored 7 goals in 36 league appearances, and also won the Italian Super Cup with the club. Milan finished second to Juventus in the Serie A, and lost the UEFA Champions League final to Liverpool on penalty kicks. He was, however, voted the best midfielder in the European tournament. He also ended up ninth position on the 2005 Golden Ball standing, earning 19 votes.

One of Kaká's more famous goals was the one against Fenerbahçe SK, during AC Milan's first game in the 2005-06 Champions League, won 3-1 by the Rossoneri, and which had pundits drawing instant comparisons with Diego Maradona. Kakà started his run from midfield and skipped past three tackles before entering the area and finishing with a low shot under Fenerbahçe goalkeeper Volkan Demirel.

On April 9, 2006, he scored his first Serie A hat-trick, against Chievo Verona. All three goals were scored in the second half.

He wears the number 22 shirt for the Milan giants. He also most recently extended his Milan contract until 2011.

--Wikipedia