Chapter 4: Gotta Look Good

Brazil is a country where football is very popular. People of all ages and genders can be seen playing football on almost every street corner. In Brazil, football is not just a hobby, it is also a way for some people to become famous and make a good living.

Football is extremely important to Brazilians. It is in their blood.

Unlike many football players who showed their skills playing on the streets as kids and were discovered by scouts, or those from poor areas who saw football as a way out of poverty, Kaka's path to becoming a footballer did not have an inspirational or legendary beginning.

Kaka's father worked as a civil engineer and his mother was an elementary school teacher. Their family was not rich, but also not poor - they had a comfortable middle-class life. From a young age, Kaka attended a prestigious private church school, where he studied from elementary all the way through high school. It was rare for Brazilian professional players to complete high school back then.

When Kaka was eight years old and his football talent became clear, he joined a formal football academy to receive professional training. While still attending school, he smoothly progressed from the Sao Paulo youth teams up to their under-23 team. Because of his background, Kaka never had to struggle to get new football boots or stay up at night wishing he could have a real ball to play with. He never experienced the "street football" culture that many Brazilians grew up with. The closest he came was playing futsal, which is indoor football.

Street football happens not just on streets, but also on beaches and in parks. Famous players like Pele and Garrincha developed their skills this way, playing in these public spaces. More recently, future stars like Robinho and Suarez also honed their skills through street football. Players from this background often have an intricate, flamboyant style with fancy skills and flair, even at the professional level. 

What Kaka wanted to do was learn from that street football culture - first, to improve his ball control and dribbling abilities, and second, to add more entertainment and flair to his game.

By playing with more flair and entertainment value, Kaka hoped it would help him win individual awards like the Ballon d'Or for World Player of the Year. It's important to understand that these awards consider not just how well a player performs on the field, but also how popular and famous they are globally. That's why very talented players like Sneijder and Ribery never won despite their success.

Stylish, skillful players who are fun to watch tend to become much more popular worldwide than boring players, even if they don't win as many team trophies. For example, Zlatan Ibrahimovic became a global superstar despite never winning the Champions League, while the legendary German goal-scorer Gerd Muller is not as well-known internationally despite setting many scoring records.

In other words, if an extremely skillful dribbler could also score as many goals and win as many titles as Cristiano Ronaldo, then Ronaldo might have to accept being just the second, third, fourth or fifth best player during his career.

While Kaka had showed flair at times, like with his nutmegs, backheels, long runs and longrange goals, his most memorable highlights tended to showcase his speed and power more than his dribbling wizardry. Except for his famous overhead kick against Manchester United, Kaka's iconic moments often came from taking advantage of his explosive physical gifts rather than outstanding ball control.

One weekend, Kaka had a day off from training with the Sao Paulo under-23 team. He decided to visit the famous Ibirapuera Park in the city, which was known as the "Football Kingdom." Sure enough, there were people of all ages - kids, adults, even elderly folks - playing football all over the park, as if they couldn't live without it.

Wearing an unnumbered Brazil national team jersey, Kaka wandered through the park until he came to an open area near the plaza. A crowd had gathered and there were pickup games happening everywhere across the space.

As Kaka approached in his football kit, a tall, skinny young man waved him over, calling "Hey man, come join us! We need one more player to start." Kaka quickly nodded and jogged over.

It was two makeshift five-a-side teams without goalkeepers. No two players wore the same jersey - it looked totally mismatched.

"Alright, we've got enough now, let's go!" the young man said, and the game kicked off abruptly, catching Kaka a bit off guard.

"Uh, excuse me," Kaka said to the young man, "What position should I play?"

The young man gave him a confused look. "Position? No positions mate, it's just a casual kickabout."

"...Okay, got it," Kaka replied with a nod, feeling a little disappointed.

I understand you're not professionals, but I didn't expect it to be this disorganized.

Even in amateur games, don't people usually decide who plays defense, midfield and attack before starting? Though to be fair, the circumstances were pretty unusual - when they were kids there were no open fields to play on, and now as adults they struggled to get enough players together...

Soon, Kaka's disappointment grew as he questioned why he was wasting valuable training time watching this sloppy amateur game.

The lack of positions and teamwork was understandable. But even the ball control skills, which were supposed to be his main reason for coming, were largely basic and mediocre among these players. 

Oh well, since he was already there...

With that thought, Kaka cleanly dispossessed an opponent who was trying to juggle the ball, taking it onto his own foot.

The player who had been proudly juggling - an impressive five touches for them - suddenly lost the ball in the blink of an eye.

Kaka then went slaloming towards the other team's goal, easily breezing past defenders with simple feints and silky touches, more like Messi than Ronaldo's powerful dribbling.

As a prospective professional, Kaka's superior physical abilities, reflexes and technique made him stand out head-and-shoulders above everyone else on the park. In this amateur environment, his quality shone like a firefly at night.

What was meant to be a learning experience for Kaka soon became a one-sided massacre as he showed off his tackling, dribbling and shooting over and over again.

If he's honest, it was quite unsportsmanlike of him.

His teammates and opponents could only watch open-mouthed, and more and more spectators noticed the random ringer who had arrived unannounced. 

Quite a crowd had gathered initially, cheering and applauding Kaka's skills. But that quickly died down.

Yes, the guy was obviously talented. But his style of play...it just wasn't entertaining or pleasing to watch.

He simply blew past opponents with a feint or a burst of speed, his shots lacking any sort of delaying dummies or dragbacks. Even his passes were straightforward without any flair. 

Not an ounce of artistry or showmanship.

One by one, the crowd lost interest and wandered away. Kaka was experiencing the peak of technical skill without entertainment value - "Skilled warriors stand idle while sharp blades gather dust." He was about to make an excuse and leave when an elderly spectator who had been watching intently from the sidelines called out, "Oy! Kid in the Brazil jersey! Come here for a minute."

Puzzled, Kaka walked over. "Yes?"

The old man, likely fresh off playing in one of the other kickabout games judging by his sweat, wiped his brow and said, "You should head over to that field instead of this one. This ain't the right place for your kind of football."

Kaka's eyes lit up with realization.

As the saying goes, every good story needs a wise old man to guide the protagonist.

(end of chapter)