ZURICH - Brazil and AC Milan midfielder Kaka has capped a golden year by scooping the FIFA World Player of the Year award in Zurich.
The fleet-footed playmaker was the hot favourite to take home the award after inspiring AC Milan to UEFA Champions League success last season.
He took Europe's premier club competition by storm, scoring in every round up to the final and dragging a side reeling from a domestic points-deduction all the way to the title.
Kaka came out on top of the three-man shortlist at the ceremony in Switzerland, with Barcelona forward Lionel Messi second and Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo third.
After starting his professional career as a 15-year-old with Sao Paulo, Kaka suffered a career-threatening back injury in a swimming-pool accident aged 18.
He went on to make a full recovery, however, and made his full international debut under Luiz Felipe Scolari in January 2002.
As a 20-year-old he was part of the triumphant World Cup squad but played only 19 minutes in the Far East.
In June 2003, Kaka made the switch to Europe when he was snapped up by AC Milan for 8.5 million euros, and went on to help the Rossoneri win the Serie A title in his first season.
This year has been his crowning glory, however, with this latest accolade the icing on the cake after Kaka firmly established himself as the finest footballer in Europe - a tag ratified earlier this month when he was crowned European player of the year.
Kaka not only came away with a Champions League winners' medal, but seemed to make it a personal quest to bring the famous trophy back to the San Siro, proving the Rossoneri's match-winner time and again.
He almost single-handedly secured the Champions League trophy for Milan, scoring 10 times to finish as the competition's leading marksman.
He bagged a solo extra-time winner against Celtic in the first knockout stage and scored three times in the semi-final against Manchester United.
The 25-year-old notched two superb goals in the first leg, one fired across the goalkeeper from a tight angle and the second coolly finished after a mesmerising run through the defence.
He then set them on the way to a 3-0 second-leg win with the opening strike and was also the most influential player on the pitch in the victory over Liverpool in the final.
Milan had started that Serie A campaign with an eight-point deduction for their part in the Italian match-fixing scandal so the Scudetto was never a realistic prospect. They ended up in fourth place.
Kaka's inspirational displays in Europe, though, ensured the Rossoneri did not have to come to terms with a third successive season without silverware.
The Italian giants have endured a miserable start to this season but while Milan sit adrift of pacesetters and city rivals Internazionale, Kaka has continued to fire on all cylinders.
Only this week he starred as Milan claimed FIFA Club World Cup glory with Kaka scoring in the 4-2 win over Boca Juniors in the final as well as winning the Player of the Tournament award.
Kaka is no longer just the creative hub of the team, the player who can produce a moment of genius to turn a game, but also now the chief goalscorer, motivator and talisman.
He is the first person the team look to for inspiration when things are not going to plan, when they need someone to dig them out of a hole.
Even in a team packed with star names and proven quality like Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo, Filippo Inzaghi and Gennaro Gattuso, it is the Brazilian who has assumed the mantle of responsibility.
He is not surprisingly attracting admiring glances from Barcelona and Real Madrid, but Milan will do everything in their power to hold onto their prized asset and the world's top player.
