Kaka Talks Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Ballon d'Or, Jose Mourinho and More

Brazil legend Kaka says he is very proud to be the last winner of the Ballon d'Or to have been born on planet earth, with the prestigious award having been shared exclusively between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the last few years.

Kaka won the Ballon d'Or in 2007 after inspiring Milan to Champions League triumph with a number of breathtaking displays.

With the award having been won four times by Barcelona's Messi and three times by Real Madrid's Ronaldo since then, the 33-year-old is in select—if alien—company as a recent and active winner of the Ballon d'Or, per Juan I. Garcia-Ochoa of Spanish outlet Marca: 

"Ronaldinho, Cristiano, Messi and myself are the only Ballon d'Or winners who are still playing. It fills me with pride to stand alongside these great players, and to be the last player to have won the award before Messi and Ronaldo. You could say that I was the last Ballon d'Or winner to have been born on this planet."

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press

Kaka made a big-money move from Milan to Real in 2009, but his four years at the Bernabeu were injury-hit and largely disappointing.

He was part of Real's last La Liga-winning side in 2011-12 under manager Jose Mourinho, but he failed to hit the heights he had previously reached in his heyday at Milan.

Kaka's relationship with Mourinho often seemed strained in Madrid. However, the 33-year-old has now said he has respect for the Portuguese manager, per Garcia-Ochoa:

"

I always acted very professionally and respected the decisions he made. My relationship with him wasn't bad. It's true that there were certain things that I didn't agree with, but I had no choice but to keep on working hard, and that's just what I did. And you know what? For me, it was rewarding to hear what he said about me when we both left the club. When he was asked about me, he said that I was a top professional.

"

The former Sao Paulo man now plies his trade in Major League Soccer with Orlando City and he has netted nine goals as well as providing four assists so far this season, per WhoScored.com.

His Brazil career is seemingly coming to a close as he has not been included in the squad for the Selecao's upcoming World Cup qualifiers in October, per Reuters (via Sun Media's Kurtis Larson):

In the era before Messi and Ronaldo truly began their dominance of European football, Kaka was undoubtedly one of the global stars of the game.

While his career in La Liga did not work out so well, his time with Milan—and the 2007 Champions League win—was remarkable.

Not of this earth Ronaldo and Messi may be, but Kaka is deservedly among them as one of the great players of the 21st century.