Kaka: Want to be teammates with Rooney, Gerald, and Ferdinand Dembele is a popular Golden Globe Award

In an exclusive interview with SPORTbible, former AC Milan, Real Madrid and Brazilian national team attacking midfielder Kaka talked about three former England players he thought he could work with and succeed.

Kaka: "I had a lot of fierce showdowns with Rooney during my time, and I thought it would be great to play with him. And Rio Ferdinand, who was always hard to deal with, and Steven Gerrard, we had two Champions League finals (2005 and 2007). I admire him very much, like his way of playing football, he was very elegant on the court, and I would pick these three."

The 2002 World Cup winner then talked about his time at Real Madrid. While in Spain, he faced Barcelona coached by Guardiola, composed of Messi, Iniesta and Xavi. But Kaka believes that another Barcelona legend is his hardest opponent in La Liga.

Kaka: "I would say Puyol is one of the hardest La Liga opponents I have ever encountered, he is one of the best players at Barcelona. For me as a midfielder or striker, I often have to face him, and he is really hard to deal with."

When asked who should win the 2025 Golden Ball Award, Kaka replied: "It's hard to say who deserves the award now, because it's important to wait until the end of the season, including the results of the Champions League final and the league final. For the contenders, I Would say Salah. And Van Dijk, I think he has returned to his best form and should be recognized. If Mbappe can win the European Golden Boot, I think he has a chance. In addition, I would mention Yamal and Rafinia, because Barcelona won the La Liga title, the King's Cup, and reached the Champions League semi-finals. According to the results of the Champions League final, Dembele has also performed very well this season, and if he can be the protagonist in the final, he will be one of the popular candidates for the Golden Ball. "