Remember last January, when Manchester City staged a coup to sign Kaka from AC Milan? We all remember that, of course – Milan were on agreement with the Citizens over Kaka's price, just that the Brazilian star's signature was not put to paper, meaning that he stayed in Milan. Everyone will remember the chaos that ensued then, as Milan fans were on the verge of going insane upon loss of their most exciting forward.
Fast forward to the next transfer window – and it's happened again. With the only English involvement being the vague Chelsea ambush bid (which was later on denied), Kaka has put us through another rollercoaster saga. This time, though, he has left the San Siro coop for real. Milan and Real Madrid have both confirmed the former's selling of Kaka to the latter, in a move that has no doubt shocked many. Only last winter, Kaka said that he would not leave Milan – only now, it's happened. And as much as Kaka has said that he did it “for the good of Milan”, one really cannot believe in that statement.
As it stands, AC Milan are on a return trip to the Champions League next season – a competition in which they have been arguably the best in this decade. Time and again Milan has proven to be kings of the continent, as players like Maldini, Nesta and Inzaghi led them to European dominance. However, it remains to be seen whether this Milan team will be able to compete at the level which they have had in previous installments.
In addition to Kaka, Carlo Ancelotti – the mastermind of European glory at the San Siro, has flown over to Chelsea, where he will be put up in charge of making success happen at the Bridge. Now at the helm of Milan is Leonardo, whom Galliani hopes to “do a Guardiola”. While Leonardo does have decent credentials and is a good choice for Milan's new direction, the same cannot be said of the squad.
AC Milan have not done themselves a favor, having just lost their most renowned player under 30. If anything, Milan is starting to look even older. Despite being some of the world's best at their prime, the likes of Ronaldinho, Nesta, Dida, Gattuso, Zambrotta, Pirlo, Inzaghi and Seedorf will no longer be enough to snag the Rossoneri another European trophy, when you take into consideration the style of teams like Barcelona and Manchester United. While there remains Mathieu Flamini and Alexandre Pato, 2 players will not be enough to rescue this team. Change is needed at the San Siro, although in fairness to them, they seem to be wasting no time – Wolfsburg hitman Edin Dzeko has been linked with a San Siro switch. Dzeko was a vital part of Felix Magath's Bundesliga winners, and will no doubt prove to be valuable for Milan. With Superpippo bound to hang up his boots in a couple of years, one could see Dzeko blossoming into a fine player under his tutelage.
As for Madrid, they have gotten themselves off to a heck of the start. Florentino Perez is a man on a mission, as he scours the globe for potential fits to Madrid's puzzle. Kaka is surely not the last big signing, as Madrid continue the Cristiano Ronaldo and Valencia-raid sagas, as well as continuing their interest in French star Franck Ribery. It will only be a matter of days before the Merengues get another player, whether it be any of the aformentioned names, or as simple as recalling Alvaro Negredo or Ezequiel Garay. Now that he's now in charge, Perez must deliver his promise – or else face the wrath of Madridistas raring to get their team back to former glory.
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