KAKA ENJOYING HIS FOOTBALL

Real Madrid midfielder Kaka has said that he is once again enjoying football and that he is very much looking forward to becoming a regular part of the Real Madrid first-team. Kaka joined Real Madrid for a then world record fee of £ 64 million, but has struggled at Madrid for both form and fitness. Since the arrival of manager José Mourinho, Kaka has failed to nail down a first-team spot partly because of form and partly because of fitness. However, in the last few weeks, he has been showing signs of resurgence, which was finally capped off by the brilliant display against APOEL.

The 29-year-old playmaker was once again at his best in the match against Cyprus side APOEL in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Following their 3-0 win in the first leg, Real Madrid were the favourites to qualify for the semifinals of the competition where they could be facing the likes of Bayern Munich or Marseille. However, José Mourinho has said ahead of the second leg encounter between the two clubs that it was going to be a tough encounter nonetheless. Kaka was excellent in the first leg after he came on as a substitute. He started the match against APOEL at the Santiago Bernabeu.

He scored stunning goal against APOEL that reminded people about his quality. Speaking after the match, the Brazilian said that he is close to returning to his best. “The confidence in myself is returning. I did not have trust to shoot from distance and today I dared to do it. I am happy because I am growing and improving. I can do more things: goals, assists, everything that the team needs. But there is a lot of competition because our attackers score many goals,” he told reporters after the game, which put Real Madrid in the semifinals of the Champions League.