Ricky Kaka and Andriy Shevchenko spoke about their time at Milan and about President Berlusconi, who turned 80.
Yesterday marked the 80th birthday of Silvio Berlusconi and there was a special episode of the Italian TV show ‘Tiki Taka’, featuring many people from the past and present of the former Prime Minister.
Two of those people were Kaka and Andriy Shevchenko (who celebrated his 40th birthday himself yesterday). Ricky and Sheva were protagonists in the Milan of Berlusconi in the Carlo Ancelotti era, with the Ukrainian winning the Champions League with the red and black shirt in 2003, and the Brazilian in 2007.
“The seven years at Milan have a lot of meaning for me in my personal and professional life,” Kaka said on the show. “If today I’m the person that I am then it is due to those seven years. I always tried to treat people and the fans with a lot of respect and a much love. I think it was a mutual feeling.
“My relationship with Berlusconi? When I think of Silvio Berlusconi my first thought is about a winning person, an entrepreneur, an interesting person with a history. My relationship with him was mostly about football, although he often spoke about many other things.
“A game and a goal that I dedicate to Berlusconi? The game, the Champions final in Athens in 2007, which was the most important moment for Milan, two years after the defeat in the final in Istanbul. As for the goal, I’d say the one in Manchester in 2007 in the semifinals; it’s one of my favorites goals.”
Kaka, currently at Orlando City in the MLS, played for Milan from 2003 to 2009 and then again for one season in the 2013-14 campaign, playing 308 official games, scoring 105 goals.
“The Milan I played in was a perfect music, something that is impossible to explain,” Shevchenko said last night. “There was a sense of a group and of staying together which was extraordinary. We had so many Champions but we were a family and it’s one thing that’s even more beautiful than the victories.
“Ancelotti was fantastic in managing the group and was important for my career. My relationship with Silvio Berlusconi? The first time I saw President Berlusconi was in a friendly match at San Siro. He gave me the impression of a very kind, intelligent and cheerful person with a lot of charisma.
“Berlusconi has been very important in my life, not only in football. He was close to me when my father was sick and had very personal affection for me. Unfortunately my father has passed away but he lived for 15 more years only thanks to Berlusconi. A regret about the time at Milan? I’d like to replay only one game – the Champions League final in Istanbul because we had to win it.”
Shevchenko, currently the coach of the Ukraine NT, played for Milan from 1999–2006 and for one season in the 2008–2009 campaign, scoring 175 goals in 322 appearances for the Diavolo.
To this day, i still look back at that final in Istanbul and have a feeling of dread, knowing that it should of been ours…but that is the past, you can either run from it or learn from it! We should look at it as a catalyst to help motivate us for the future!
Fanta Sheva! i remember when he was out in 2005 with a Cheek bone fracture in a 1-0 win against Cagliari. We would be meeting a team from the bottom of the league next. Oh boyy….did they celebrate his absence like it was Christmas.
My two best players!!
I would give the whole milan sqaud just for you two! Not donnarumma though, but the rest!
Thanks for all the good memories you gave us along with the other legends!
“2010/11 milan had better attack than 2010/11 barca.” – sheva ’16
Ibra, pato, robinho, inzaghi, ronaldinho, pirlo, seedorf, boateng > messi, , xavi, iniesta, pedro , villa
Yes! Milan10, we hade a better and wider attacking power that barca
Yes yes, because milan had 2 barca rejects and boateng, wc winning goalscorer right? Oh wait, boateng didnt even want to play for ghana because he’s busy doing all those jacko dance routine and getting injured from “scoring” too hard in bed. I even remember afellay the ballboy rejecting milan’s offer.
U remind me of that old ramones song, “now i wanna sniff some glue”
You most of forgotten boateng’s goal against barca? That world class goal against barca. You totaly must forgotten that one the way you talked about him. He also made hattrick aginst lecce in that 4-3 match, i think your forgot that one too.
Bonaventura in HIS DREAM wouldnt even score a goal like that against barca, JAAACK in his DREAAAAAM wouldnt score a hattrick..
I rest my case milan10, i think your name is milan10 because of our age. Nothing else
And hold on!!! “2 barca rejects” I assume you mean ronaldinho and WHOO???
And ibra???! Did you call IBRAHIMOVIC a barca reject????!! You cant slip out of this one, there are only 2 players that played for barca, dinho and ibra?
You seriously called ibra a barca reject??! You are OUT of our MIND. I hope you WIll disapear in a mysterious way
Ibra isnt a reject to anyteam. Hes a reject to pep thats it and from what it seems like it was personal not because he was bad. Ronaldinho was a legend undebatable before he was evennear retirement. Even past his prime he was a fantastic player. (Still is) If these are rejects i dont know what you are smoking.
@sheva: aah yes goals vs lecce. wow, fantastico. u bitch about bona only performs against small teams yet u brag about his hattrick against lecce? hypocrite much? spectacular goal against barca? nice but still they got eliminated right?
lets talk facts shall we: messi and his minions (including wc winners and ballon d’or nominees xavi and iniesta) scored 147 goals that season. messi alone scored 60 goals, more than all milan players u mentioned combined.
@cryptic: dinho had gone downhill since 2006/07, u’d know this if u actually follow football.
That 2010 squad should have been the basis for a new Milan era but unfortunately Galliani and Allegri had other ideas. Galliani thought it was more important to “balance the books” than keep hold of Ibra and Silva, and Allegri “couldn’t find space” for any legends. To this day I can remember Pirlo sitting on the bench and then being brought on to play left side of midfield…