Coach Martinez POV
It has been two weeks since coach Joao asked me to take Kaká under my wing. His reasoning was simple, "He is too good for this level. He might be too good for U17. He is raw, but his potential is infinite. Add in all the effort he puts in extra after the regular sessions, we have a star in our hands."
I was a bit sceptical at first. Because I have seen these so-called prodigious talents before. Many have passed through Sao Paulo as well. And reality catches up to them very quickly.
Most of the time, they fizzle out. But, I haven't seen Joao this excited about a talent in a long long time. So, I decided to pay closer attention to Kaká. I went and watched his past few games at U15.
What I saw shocked me! His raw pace and dribbling skills were unbelievable. For someone who just turned 15, it is illegal to be that fast with the ball. And his dribbling. It doesn't feel flashy, it is just practical. He just runs through you and passes you.
The players at u15, didn't even realise what was happening until he was gone past them. His technique is not the usual Brazilian way. He almost plays like a European.
I asked Joao about this and he said "Kaká may be Brazilian by birth, but his football is all European. His favourite club is Milan. His favorite player is Van Basten. He is very Brazilian, but his inspiration and motivation has always been Milan. Even as a kid, he would talk about playing for Milan in the future. So, that could be the influence"
He is different. That much is certain.
He didn't start to play games until recently because he was very frail until a couple of months ago. He put on about 15kg and a good 6inches in height. He is still growing, so his physicality would not be an issue.
His passing vision is something that takes players years to develop. It comes so instinctually to him. The way he sees runs, the way he threads through passes, he is very very efficient. So many kids get lost trying to perfect their flashy skills, and trying to impress coaches with showing off, but Kaká, Kaká is built differently. He doesn't go for flashy, he always opts for practical. Get the ball, beat the defense, pass, move into space, score, or assist.
That is the pattern I have noticed. He loves playing quick paced football. On the counter, he is devastating. Unless you're an experienced professional, you can't stop him once he starts going. His ball control on the run is out of this world.
And this kid is just 15. What kind of monster would he be once he peaks?
I could also see the areas where he lacks. He gets caught on the ball sometimes. With all his vision and pace, his passing needs a bit of work. It is still exceptional for his age, but if he wants first team football, he needs to not make those mistakes.
Even now, he could walk into the first team in my opinion. But, his mistakes would be visible and a kid should not be immediately thrown to the wolves.
I have talked about this with Joao. We decided to do things the right way. Give him room to grow. Give him time to make those mistakes at U17 level, so that when he reaches the first team, he is not making obvious mistakes.
We didn't want to put him under too much pressure so soon. There is no rush. He has plenty of time, we refine his game, work on areas he needs to improve, and once he gets a taste of the physicality and the tactical setups, he gets room to breathe and adapt.
I am not under the illusion that he would continue to dominate every single opponent.
We have set a timeline. 1 whole year at U17. We would develop his skills, get him used to the idea of better defenses and better tactics and we develop him into a proper player by the time he is 17.
In the past week, Kaká has been training with the U17 team.
The one thing that I absolutely admire about him is his dedication. The amount of work he puts in on and off the field is spectacular.
A 15 year old kid cannot be this motivated. He doesn't miss a training session. He follows the dietary instructions to the T. He listens to the trainers. He listens to the coaches. He never talks back. He just sits back and observes.
I wanted to start him immediately in the team, but Joao wanted to see how he would react to being made to train first and being left out. Based on what I have seen, he reacted like an absolute professional.
He took the feedback positively, he performs at a standard never seen before, and he silently waits.
He gels well with the teammates, he tries to play to their strengths and always tries to improve them. It is rare to see someone so young, be so selfless while playing football at this level.
In my multiple years of experience, young players start selfishly. Especially the attacking players. They want to impress by scoring goals. But Kaká, he wants to assist. He wants to make that beautiful pass that leads to the goal.
One area I would like for him to improve on is his aggression. Or the lack of it. He is very calm and collected on the field. It is too soon to judge, but based on our talks, he doesn't think it is necessary.
It is fine for now, but at the elite level, he needs to be aggressive, else, he would realise it the bad way when he comes across dirty players and dirty tactics. It will come with experience.
I was intrigued by him, so I pulled him aside after practice yesterday to talk to him.
"Tell me Kaká, what drives you?"
"I want to be the greatest player ever, coach. Not the greatest midfielder, not the greatest attacker, just the greatest player. When people talk about all time eleven, I want to be the first name on the sheet without a debate. And to still enjoy football."
"Hmm, what makes someone the greatest then Kaká?"
"If I am being honest, I don't have an answer for you yet. It is tricky coach Martinez. Football is a team sport. Is someone the greatest if they win a couple of trophies with a weaker team? Or is someone the greatest if they win everything with a great team? That is one question, the other question is in the statistics. Most goals, most assists, most ballon d'ors. Do the numbers decide? Does the number of trophies won decide it?"
"I would like to think that it is a combination of everything. Stats without trophies don't mean much. Trophies without stats, would just be something you won with the help of your team. What I want is the streets. I want the fans to scream my name out when I am on the field. I want the opponents to fear me. I want the opposition fans to boo me, but respect me for what I achieve. I want the respect of my fellow footballers, coaches, trainers, and staff. Like I said earlier, I want to be the greatest. Period."
"I might change my opinion later on, I might redefine what makes someone the greatest, I am just 15, but at this point, I think I want everything. I want to win leagues, I want golden boots, I want the assist records, I want the world cups, I want the champions leagues, I want the ballon d'ors, I want the chants, I want a unanimous agreement."
I just sat there in silence at what I had heard.
This kid scared me. The clarity of thought, the ambition, that fire, that sincerity when he says he wants to own the streets. And he is just 15.
I wanted to ground him a bit as well, so I asked
"It takes a lot of work to do that Kaká. Dominating an U15 tournament when you're quick is one thing, to dominate at the world stage is something else entirely. When you meet elite defenders, you wouldn't be able to pass them like you do these kids. You realise that right? What happens when you don't win things? What happens when you lose?"
"Then I go again. It is not in my hands to demand results. My job is to work the hardest I ever could without breaking, and then deliver it when it matters the most.
I am not talking about becoming the best two years from now. I know I can't compete at that level yet. But, if I continue to train every single day, if I don't lose track of the goal, I could see it becoming a reality.
And I need to have fun doing it. I cannot be robotic, I love football because it excites me. Tactics challenge me. Finding a pass, scoring a 40 yard screamer, dribbling past 4 defenders, it is so rewarding, I do not want to lose that. So, if the results don't go my way, it is fine, if I know that I gave it my all and I had fun doing it."
And then he smirked and said "But don't worry coach, the results WILL come. I will make sure of it. This may be a team sport, but a few individual moments of magic can win you games. And I want to have plenty of them. I will drag my team to victory. "
The audacity of this kid.
"So, who according to you deserves that spot right now?"
"Hmm, if I am being biased, I would say Marco Van Basten, he was the perfect player in my mind. But, all the criteria I talked about earlier come into play. Did he win a world cup? How many UCL did he win? The longevity of his career? So many questions. So, it might come down to Pele, Maradona, and Baresi. I haven't watched a lot of players in the past, but these three stand out to me absolutely. They had everything."
"Yeah, I have heard of your obsession with Milan and Van Basten. Let me be honest, Kaká. I think you have the raw talent and potential. If you continue to train like you do, and keep your head clear without distractions, I could see it happening. But, the path is not easy. There will have to be many sacrifices made. Football is changing. It is not the sport of 30 years ago. Or even 20 years ago. Things are different now. And I hope you realise that in order to achieve greatness and a lasting legacy, it takes a lot. I genuinely hope that you achieve everything you set out to do."
We talked football for a bit, what excites him, what he thinks of the past teams and relatively small talk. I make it a point to have these chats with my players, and this kid surprised me. The maturity, the way he looks at the game, the clarity of thought, that is different.
I had a hunch that he meant everything he said to me. And I had a feeling that he would achieve everything he said he would.
By the time the next week passed, my decision was made. Kaká needs to play in the U17 team. I had every bit of confidence that he was going to dominate. He is ready.
I met up with Joao and higher management and I informed them of my decision. I told them that it would be a mistake to not play him. I want to start him on the bench first and if he adapts quickly to the game at this level, he will start. He is miles ahead of the other attacking options.
They were not surprised as they have seen the reports of the past two weeks of training.
They are taking it seriously as they have realised that we have a star in our hands.
I called Kaká and his father to my office the next day.
"I will come straight to the point Mr. Leite. Kaká had been extremely good during the past two weeks and everyone agreed with me that he should play at the U17 level. So, with your permission, I would like to add him to our roster."
I then looked at Kaká and said " I shall lay down how it is going to go. I would ease you into the league. You start on the bench, and then you stick to the plan. I know you like your freedom, but we play as a team and we play like we practiced. I promise you that you will have plenty of chances to express your creativity."
"In the past two weeks, we wanted to see your potential and how you adjust to the level. You smashed our expectations. Now, we see how you adjust to a style of play. You can't go rogue every single game and play on your own. We have certain expectations, and you must meet them. Irrespective of how good you are or think that you are, we play as a team."
"We will set you a training plan. We work on your finishing, strength and passing. You will have a custom plan for your defensive work as well. These are the dietary and workout plans for you. The other sheet is the schedule for you. Things will be hectic. There will be an added load. We want you to take it slow, but we do not want you to lag behind."
"We might have disagreements about how we play or some tactics or many other things. What I expect from you is professionalism. I do not tolerate tantrums. I do not tolerate disrespect. If you have something to say to me, discuss it with me in private. I give everyone the opportunity to express their opinion, but I expect people to accept the decision I make after the discussion. Talent doesn't necessarily mean that you get away with things. That's my line. You do not cross it. Ever. Any questions?"
Kaká looked me straight into my eyes, and he had that look like he knows what's coming, a slight smirk on his face, and with the confidence of someone who has played for decades, just said
"When do we start?"
This fucking kid!
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Author's Notes:
Something that has been on my mind and something that Hj5 pointed out was that at 15, some of the stats are pretty high. To make it more believable, they need to be lowered.
I have been thinking about it a bit, to put in more realistic values. I was so stuck on the slow growth aspect, that I wanted to start a bit higher on things and in my head, I was comparing the stats with prime Messi or prime Cristiano. In doing so, I think some of them have gotten a bit higher, because in this story I wanted Kaká to be an all-round threat like never seen before. 93-94 pace, 90+ shooting, 90+ passing, 94-95 dribbling. Those are the numbers I was aiming for and based on how I planned the progression, I reduced the system rewards, and started high on the base stats.
I researched the official and unofficial cards of recent teenage prodigies like Yamal, Mbappe, Foden, Saka, Bellingham, Pedri, Gavi, Musiala, Doue and a lot more. I wanted this version of Kaká to be better. That's why I upped the pace and dribbling and put in 84 passing already. But, the drawback is that with those stats, Kaká must dominate in the Brazilian league.
I am genuinely considering reworking the stats a bit and maybe include better rewards. What do you guys think? Please let me know.