Where to Now for Real Madrid's Kaka?

There has been much speculation recently that Kaka may be set for a return to the city of Milan. Whether he will return to play for his previous side, A.C. Milan, or their fiercest rivals, Inter, is quite unclear. Indeed, the former world No. 1 may not return to Italy at all.

However, what is clear is that the current Real Madrid boss, Jose Mourinho, is not too keen on keeping his Brazilian ace. Before speculation started to abound about a possible shock return to Italy, it was said that Mourinho was planning to make Kaka part of a mega-offer for Manchester United star Wayne Rooney.

The signing of Mezut Oezil in the summer was also perhaps a suggestion by Mourinho that Kaka was or is not part of his plans at the Bernabeu.

Kaka, who has undergone surgery on a torn ligament in his left knee since the World Cup, is not expected to play until January. By this time, Kaka may not be a Blancos any longer.

Since leaving Milan in the summer of 2009 for Real Madrid, Kaka has failed to live up to the hype and expectation that his arrival in Spain prompted. There have been many rumours as to why, but the pervading one is that Kaka’s physical condition is fragile and indeed it seems so. Now at the age of 28, there is a suspicion that we may have already seen the best of Kaka.

Given Kaka’s physical condition, he has suffered from various ailments in recent years, his modest showing in his debut season at Madrid, and that Mourinho has hinted that Kaka is not an indispensable member of his squad, it is very much a possibility that Kaka may indeed be looking at his options beyond Real Madrid very soon.

A return to Milan, the club where he enjoyed his greatest success, is the destination apparently favoured by Kaka. Given the adoration he enjoyed from the Milan fans, and Milan’s propensity to buy stars past their prime, it seems more likely that Kaka would return to his former club, rather than their hated city rivals.

However, Kaka is clearly not the same player as he once was. Injuries have greatly affected him in the last season or two and he continues to be hampered by various physical concerns. Given his age, it is difficult to see former Rossoneri again reaching the heights he once did in his time at Milan.

Inter’s interest in Kaka is more than likely just a response to Milan’s purchase of Ibrahimovic. With Wesley Schneider pulling the strings for Inter in the middle, there is little reason why the Nerazzurri would buy him.

A return to the Rossoneri seems the most likely destination if Kaka is to stay in Europe. Other than the apparent interest from the two Milan giants, Kaka’s time in Europe may be over before expected with seemingly little interest from the rest of Europe and understandably so. 

Sao Paulo from Brazil has recently announced their interest in bringing back their former star and this may just be where the Brazilian star ends up.

Whether Kaka will continue to be a Los Blancos remains to be seen. Football fans, particularly those at the Santiago Bernabeu and the men that funded his mega-money transfer, will be hoping that he returns to his best in all white of Real Madrid.