Robinho

• Date of Birth: 25 January 1984
• Height: 175 cm
• Shirt number: 11
• Position: Forward
• Current club: Santos (BRA)
• International Caps: 79
• International Goals: 25
• First international: Mexico - Brazil
  (13 July 2003)

Club History

• Manchester City (ENG): From 2008 to 2010
• Real Madrid (ESP): From 2005 to 2008
• Santos (BRA): From 2002 to 2005

Association, position, prodigy and genius condemned the teenage Robinho to the burdensome tag of ‘The New Pele'. And although the Sao Vicente native's style is mightily similar to that of O Rei, he has become a superstar in his own right.

Robinho exploded onto the scene in 2002. With his speed and, principally, his magical dribbling skills, he inspired Santos to the Campeonato Brasileiro prize. He was just 18. The dashing, deep-lying forward went on to propel O Peixe to another league title in 2004, and the final of the Copa Libertadores one year earlier, before a big-money move to Real Madrid.

Robinho made a superb debut for Los Merengues, but his form was somewhat erratic during a first season at the club which included a La Liga winner's medal. However, in his second season Robinho became a player of huge influence, creating and scoring goals consistently and wowing audiences with his productive tricks. Real again won La Liga.

On the final ay of the transfer window in September 2008, Robinho completed a 42.5-million-euro transfer to Manchester City. He scored a brilliant free-kick on his debut, in a defeat by Chelsea, and quickly began to showcase the talent that had established him as one of the world's best players. In his first season with City, he was one of the leading marksmen and set-up men in the Premier League. Again, however, the Brazilian ace put in a few shaky performances, which along with persistent injuries, harmed his status and eventually led City to agree a six-month loan deal that brought Robinho back to his beloved Santos. Here he swiftly became the focal point of a young and talented generation of attacking players.

Able to play up front or in behind the forwards, Robinho - who made his international debut in 2003 and helped Brazil win the FIFA Confederations Cup two years later - was a valuable squad member under Carlos Alberto Parreira. However, he was invariably utilised as a substitute.

After limited playing time at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™, Robinho was then made an automatic starter by new coach Dunga. He responded emphatically, becoming the heartbeat of the Brazil side and heroically guiding them to Copa America 2007 glory. He finished the competition as top scorer.

Robinho has taken this form into South Africa 2010 qualifying and the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009. While many of his celebrated compatriots have been below-par, the Santos revelation has been at his inventive best and is an indispensable figure for A Seleção.

Kaka

• Date of Birth: 22 April 1982
• Height: 186 cm
• Shirt number: 10
• Position: Midfielder
• Current club: Real Madrid (ESP)
• International Caps: 82
• International Goals: 27
• First international: Brazil - Bolivia
  (31 January 2002)

Club History

• AC Milan (ITA): From 2003 to 2009
• São Paulo (BRA): From 2000 to 2003

Kaka is firmly established as one of the finest players in the world. With a capacity to glide almost effortlessly past opponents, provide defence-splitting passes and score consistently from distance, the attacking midfielder won the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2007 and made the five-man shortlist for sport's most prestigious individual honour again the following year.

Born in Brasilia in 1982, his family relocated to Sao Paulo when Kaka was young and it was there that he excelled at football and tennis. He ultimately elected to pursue the former and, after recovering from a career-threatening injury he suffered as a 15-year-old, he joined Sao Paulo.

Kaka made his Tricolor Paulista debut in January 2001 and, after helping his club lift the Torneio Rio-Sao Paulo trophy, was named in Brazil's squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™. Although he was afforded little playing time in the Far East, he returned from the tournament with a winner's medal. Later that year he claimed Placar magazine's Bola de Ouro, awarded to the Campeonato Brasileiro's stand-out performer, and the following year he became the property of AC Milan.

There, with superstars Rivaldo and Manuel Rui Costa on the Rossoneri books, it was assumed the young Brazilian would be sent out on loan to gain experience. That move never materialised. Instead, Kaka, who got his first-team break due to injuries in the squad, rendered himself non-droppable and scored ten times in 30 outings as Milan roared to the Serie A title.

Kaka continued to excel over the following two seasons, illuminating the UEFA Champions League during the 2004/05 campaign, which culminated in his team's loss on penalties to Liverpool in an enthralling final, but his reputation accelerated to new heights in 2007; a year in which he played the leading role in Milan's capture of the Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup titles. Among the countless personal honours he received that year were a second Serie A Footballer of the Year award and the FIFA World Player gong. Injuries hindered Kaka in the 2008/09 season. However, when he started, he sparkled.

Kaka has been a fixture in the Brazil team since 2003, and by the end of 2008 had scored 23 goals in 62 internationals - interestingly, A Seleção have never lost a match in which he has found the target.

Kaka radiated as Brazil won the FIFA Confederations Cup Germany 2005, and his brilliant strike from distance earned them a 1-0 victory over Croatia in their 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ opener. However, he and his fellow attacking geniuses were unable to find their rhythm for the remainder of the tournament, and the five-time world champions ultimately lost to France in the quarter-finals.

Kaka’s reputation as a leader and decisive playmaker were bolstered dramatically with some impressive showings in South Africa 2010 qualifying and also at the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009, where he scooped the adidas Golden Ball award and man of the match honours for the final against USA.

Alexandre Pato

Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva (born 2 September 1989), commonly known as Alexandre Pato or simply Pato, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Italian Serie A club Milan and the Brazilian national team. His nickname, Pato, refers to his place of birth, Pato Branco, it is also a reference to his nickname "the duck", the literal translation of pato in Portuguese.

He started playing indoor football in his hometown at the age of three. Soon, his ability became known all around the south Brazilian state of Paraná for being a skillful and talented goal scorer and, after being praised by many of his managers, the teenager went to Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, to try out for Grêmio. He was turned away by Grêmio, the club whom he had supported since a boy – but local rivals Internacional convinced him to play for them. Despite the two clubs being bitter enemies, Pato’s parents convinced their youngster to switch his allegiance.

Pato said in an interview with the Brazilian television program, Esporte Espetacular that at age 11, he broke his arm and while examining the injuries, doctors found a tumour in the arm and feared the arm needed to be amputated. A successful operation removed the tumour.

In June 2006, at only 16 years of age, Pato was signed by Sport Club Internacional to compete in the Campeonato Brasileiro Sub-20. Despite the fact that he was competing against players up to four years older than him, Pato became top scorer of the competition as Internacional Sub-20 defeated Grêmio 4–0. Ready to join the Inter first team in November that same year, his debut finally happened at the Estádio Palestra Itália against São Paulo giants Palmeiras for the Campeonato Brasileiro. Alexandre Pato met and surpassed any and all expectations of what was expected of him as he scored his first professional goal within the first minute of the game. The rest of his participation was spent dribbling and confusing defenders as he made two assists (and almost scoring another himself) to help Internacional rout Palmeiras 4–1. He was substituted off in the 77th minute.

Pato was included in the Internacional squad that won the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup. During this event, Pato broke Pelé's long standing record as he became the youngest ever player to score in a FIFA organised competition at the age of 17 years and 102 days old against African club champions Al-Ahly. Pelé was 17 years and 239 days old when he scored against Wales during the 1958 FIFA World Cup.

Keeping up with his promising figure, Pato debuted at the Campeonato Gaúcho on February 24 against Veranópolis and scored a goal in the 2–1 victory. He also debuted in Copa Libertadores on February 28 against Emelec of Ecuador (also his first game at Beira-Rio) and scored once during the 3–0 thumping. But the biggest highlight of Pato's time with Internacional was during the Recopa Sudamericana as he helped Internacional win their first ever title. Against Pachuca of Mexico, he scored one goal in the 2–1 defeat in Mexico. But on the return game on June 7 and with more than fifty-one thousand Colorados present, Pato had a luxurious performance as he scored once and led the 4–0 thrashing to win Internacional's third international title.