Football
ESPN staff 10y

Kaka: I was not a Real Madrid failure

Kaka has defended his time at Real Madrid, saying he had not been a failure at the Bernabeu despite critics' claims that he had not lived up to his 67 million euro signing.

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The Brazilian, who will spend a short spell on loan at his first club Sao Paulo before moving to Major League Soccer outfit Orlando City, moved to Madrid from AC Milan in 2009 before returning on a free last September.

He told Esporte Espetacular: "My time at Real Madrid wasn't a failure -- I played 120 matches, I scored 28 goals and I played an average of 30 games a season.

"What's more, I won three trophies -- La Liga, a Copa del Rey and a Supercopa."

Kaka praised former Bernabeu coach Jose Mourinho for helping him to mature, adding: "He was a person who helped me to grow, to be patient, to fight and to respect the coach's decisions.

"I learned to do everything in my power to show him that I could play. That's what I did during the three years that I worked with him. He helped me to mature -- I went from being a kid to being an adult."

And he said he was hopeful that he could force his way back into the Brazil team under returning coach Dunga, after failing to win a place in Luiz Felipe Scolari's World Cup squad.

"I did everything I could to be in the final squad for the World Cup, but the final decision is the coach's," he said. "I did everything I could, and that's why I have no feelings of frustration about that.

"I want to play well and get results at Sao Paulo. I want to do well and get the rewards if I perform well."

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