Kaka, the last player to win the Ballon d’Or before Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi began their decade-long dominance, hung up his boots on Sunday and his former Brazil teammate David Luiz posted an video on Instagram to pay tribute to the iconic midfielder.

Meu irmão @kaka ! Você sabe o quanto sou seu fã e já expressei isso publicamente milhares de vezes. Amigo verdadeiro, exemplo de conduta dentro e fora de campo. Honrou as camisas que vestiu e principalmente o nome do nosso Senhor Jesus. Chegou no topo, ganhou os melhores títulos possíveis, mas nunca perdeu a humildade e a sabedoria de que tudo é pra Honra e Glória dEle. É uma alegria ter jogado com você e principalmente ter a tua amizade. Parabéns pela carreira linda, você mereceu tudo o que viveu no futebol! Que Deus te abençoe em seus novos projetos, conta sempre comigo.

A post shared by David Luiz (@davidluiz_4) on Dec 18, 2017 at 6:28am PST

Advertisement

Part of the legendary Brazil squad that won the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Kaka starred in the Canarinho’s triumphs at the 2005 and 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup as well.

At his peak, a free-flowing attacking midfielder capable of wrecking teams at will with his powerful running, incisive passing and top-notch finishing, the 35-year-old began his senior career at Brazilian side Sao Paulo where he caught the eye of European giants AC Milan.

Don’t miss: Arsene Wenger reveals extent of Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey’s injury

At the Rossoneri, Kaka was virtually unstoppable and enjoyed the best period of his career during his six seasons with the Italian side.

Winning the Serie A in his debut season (2003-04) was remarkable, but the 2006-07 season was when he endeared himself to the Milan faithful as he led them to their seventh UEFA Champions League title.

That European triumph enabled him to pip Messi and Ronaldo to the the prestigious ‘Golden Ball’ and for a brief but glorious period, he was regarded as the finest footballer on the planet.

A world-record move to Real Madrid followed in 2009, but the Brazilian never quite hit the heights in the Spanish capital as he did in Milan and he returned to the San Siro after just four seasons in Spain.

While his second stint in Milan was not as fruitful as the first, most of that can be attributed to the fact that the Rossoneri were undergoing a transition period and Kaka soon went back to Brazil to play for his boyhood club Sao Paolo before rediscovering his spark with Major League soccer side Orlando City.

For Brazil, he amassed 92 caps and while he narrowly missed out on playing a major tournament for the international side in recent years, notably missing out on the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2015 and 2016 Copa America tournaments, he is regarded as a legend in his home country as well.