This post doesn't necessarily pertain to Italian or American soccer, but rather soccer and sports as a whole. I just watched that last 10 minutes of the Real Madrid-Lyon game and I say, as already a man of faith, that my beliefs in the existence of God are reinforced by Real Madrid's elimination. As a Phillies fan, watching my beloved club lose in the World Series to the Evil Empire of baseball was crushing. With Real Madrid taking such a role in Europe, to see nearly 300 mil euros, including my idol, Kaka', who has sparked my intense interest in the game, is simply glorious. The fact that the CL final will be held at the Bernabeu is the cherry on top. Money can't buy everything kids.
As mentioned, Madrid took Kaka away from Milan over the summer. Watching/reading about his play since has been a bit harsh. I really do not believe Madrid knew what kind of player they were signing, despite his World Player of the Year capabilities. I came to my current understanding of soccer through watching Kaka and AC Milan back in 2007. The reason AC won the Champions League that year is because their entire offense ran through Kaka'. In order for him to perform to his potential, he has to have complete control over the attacking midfield. It's not that his play is selfish, in fact he is so good because of his passing abilities, but his game simple requires full control over the flow of the midfield. In 2007, Milan's set-up was such and got them their 7th CL title. Conversely, we've seen him share the attacking midfield with Ronaldinho for Brasil at the 2006 World Cup and with Milan during 2008. Both seasons we're busts as Brasil were disappointed in the quarterfinals and Milan out of the CL in the round of 16 with Milan out of the scudetto race by February. I recognize that I'm not giving any hardcore evidence for their pairing being the reason for failure but having watched both instances, it has to be said that they limited each other. Real Madrid now deal with this burden with a handful of stars, with only a round of 16 exit in the CL and sit currently second place in a 2-team league.
As an direhard fan of his, I would love to see Kaka get back to a club where he can have the control he did during his pinnacle at Milan. It sucks that he is out of the tournament, but for the sake of restoring justice to the world, I couldn't be happier to see Real go as well.
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