🏆 The 25 greatest players of the last 25 years: Samba flair in 14th place | OneFootball

Welcome to OneFootball's definitive ranking of the 25 greatest players of the last 25 years.

Over the course of 25 days, we will be counting down our top 25 men's footballers of the 21st century so far, before revealing the winner on 1st January 2025.

Check out the list so far here

Today, our countdown continues with...

14th: Kaká (305 points)

Kaká was a Brazilian attacking midfielder renowned for his flair, vision and technical ability, playing for top clubs like São Paulo, AC Milan and Real Madrid in a glittering career.

He won numerous individual awards, including the Ballon d'Or in 2007, and helped Milan secure the Champions League title that year thanks to some incredible individual performances.

Throughout his career, Kaká was also a key figure for Brazil, winning the FIFA World Cup at the age of 20 in 2002 and two Confederations Cup titles.

Fun fact

📸 Denis Doyle - 2014 Getty Images

During the 2002 World Cup final, Kaká stood on the sidelines in the closing stages for over two agonising minutes waiting for the ball to go dead and allow him to enter and play a part in the 2-0 win over Germany.

However, the ball refused to go out of play and when Denilson was fouled, the referee blew the final whistle to bring an end to proceedings. Although he played in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, Kaká never came so close to playing in the final again.

Watch him in action

How we voted

Thirty-eight members of OneFootball's global editorial team ranked their top 25 players of the 21st century so far. Players ranked at #1 earned 25 points, second place earned 24 points, and so on. In the event of a tie, the player with the highest individual ranking was placed higher on the list.

📸 PEDRO UGARTE - 2007 AFP