Football circles are buzzing that Brazilian player Kaka is to visit Melbourne. Photo: Getty Images
Brazilian soccer superstar Kaka is due to arrive in Melbourne for a flying visit next weekend – a trip that is sure to fuel speculation that he could be checking out the city ahead of a potential move to an A League side as a guest player.
The former AC Milan and Real Madrid midfielder has won everything there is to win in the game.
He took out the Ballon D'Or award and FIFA world player of the year title in 2007, the same year he played with Champions League winners AC Milan.
Five years earlier in 2002 he was a member of the Brazil squad that won the World Cup.
When Real Madrid paid €65 million ($113.5 million) for him in 2009 he was at the time the world's second-most expensive player behind another Madrid galactico in Zinedine Zidane.
Kaka, who is now 33, left Europe last season to play in the United States with Major League Soccer expansion franchise Orlando City where his annual wage packet is about US$7 million a year.
No A League club could afford that sort of money, but they would love to talk to his agent about a short guest stint.
Hospitality industry sources revealed that Kaka would be in Melbourne next weekend on a visit in which he would look around the city and take in some rural and regional attractions.
They did not know whether he was here to consider the possibilities of a short stint in the A League or simply on holiday.
But there is no doubt that every A League club would fall over themselves to at least be able to sound out whether the Brazilian might be persuaded to play a few games over the Australian summer while MLS is in recess.
