Kaká admitted: "Me and Hazard are the worst signings in Real Madrid's recent history"

When Kaká joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, the excitement surrounding his arrival was huge. The Brazilian midfielder received the Golden Ball award and had a lot of success at AC Milan, so Florentino Pérez invested about 67 million euros to bring him to the Galácticos' new project along with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. However, many years later, the former footballer gave a rather harsh assessment of his experience in Spain. In an interview with Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel, Kaká admitted that he considers himself one of the biggest failures of modern Real Madrid: "My experience at Madrid was very complicated, both personally and professionally," he explained. "I came from Milan as the best player in the world, but if today I look at the list of Real Madrid's least successful signings, I think I'm top with Eden Hazard. Just look at what people say: Kaká and Hazard." According to Kaká, the reason for his unexpected performance is mainly due to two problems: constant injuries and fierce competition in the squad. With the arrival of José Mourinho on the coaching bench, finding playing opportunities became more difficult: "My problem in Madrid was firstly related to injuries and secondly to the choice of coach," he shared. "Mourinho prioritized other players like Özil, Di María, Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo. We had many people competing for few positions and he had other options." Despite many difficulties, Kaká still constantly tried to gain the trust of the Portuguese military leader. "That period was very important for me because I did everything to prove that I deserved more opportunities. I wanted to compete continuously, but at the same time, I was going through a real identity crisis." The former star also revealed the internal conflict he experienced during those years: "I often wondered who I really was: the best player in the world or one of Real Madrid's worst signings in recent years." No matter how things turn out, his connection with the Madrid club remains unchanged. Kaká recalls with affection the support he received from Florentino Pérez at the moment of separation. "The day I left, he called me into his office and said: 'Things didn't go as we hoped, but I'm glad you played for us. You were always professional and correct, never saying a bad thing about the manager, the club or anyone else.'