Kaka not good enough for Madrid

Ramon Calderon says the World Footballer of the Year will struggle to find a place

MADRID: AC Milan’s Brazilian star Kaka would struggle to make the first team at Real Madrid despite being named the outstanding footballer of 2007, the Spanish club’s president said. “The (Real) team is very complete and it would be difficult to make it better,” Ramon Calderon told a Madrid radio station Tuesday. “I might appear arrogant, but Kaka would perhaps not have a place in the current Real Madrid team.”

The declaration surprised Spanish newspapers, which put it down the “euphoria” ahead of Real’s match with arch-rivals Barcelona on Sunday. The AS and Marca newspapers both noted that before being elected president of Real last year, Calderon had promised to sign Kaka.

Kaka on Monday received the FIFA Player of the Year award to add to his European Footballer of the Year honour.  The 25-year-old starred in AC Milan’s run to the European Champions League title, then the European Super Cup and the recent Club World Cup. The Brazilian is expected to extend his contract with AC Milan until 2012 or 2013, according to Spanish and Italian media.