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Kaka should run - not walk - away from Manchester City

January 19, 2009 12:28 PM | Posted by   John Molinaro  

AC Milan or Manchester City?

Kaka is the subject of a mega transfer bid tabled by the Blues, who are willing to pay the Italian club $184.3 million - more than double the world transfer fee record - and sign the former FIFA world player of the year to a ridiculously wealthy contract, if he agrees to say good-bye to the Rossoneri.

Seems to me that Brazilian has an obvious choice: AC Milan.

Much as I admire City's ambition to unlock the vice-like grip that the "big four" have on the Premiership and add a little more parity to English soccer, their attempt to build an all-star team by collecting players as though they were baseball cards is loathsome and beyond contempt.

AC Milan has a rich owner in Silvio Berlusconi, who unlike his counterparts at City, has a genuine love for the game and affection for his team. The Italian club has history, vision, prestige, honour, a trophy room full of hardware and the respect of the soccer world.

City has owners who see the club as a way to build their public profile in the global community. That's all City has, nothing else. No honour, no history, no real track record of success (both at home and in Europe). Nothing, except oil-rich sugar daddies.

City must be given credit, though, for selecting Kaka as the target of such an audacious transfer bid. By selecting one of the game's top players, the strategy is clear: sign him, and others who might be hesitant to join an under-achieving club will sign on, too.

One can only imagine that if Kaka actually puts pen to paper on a deal with City that the path will be cleared for the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Gianluigi Buffon, David Villa to follow suit.

But here's something Kaka should keep in mind: City currently sits in 11th place in the Premiership standings, a mere four points above the drop zone. Does he really want to take a chance and sign with a club that stands a very good chance of being relegated at the end of the season? Does he really want to gamble on City not being in the Championship next season?

(At the very least, why not wait until the summer to negotiate with City when he can be sure the Blues will be back in the Premiership in 2009-2010?)

AC Milan, meanwhile, sits third in Serie A, and is a mere six points off leaders Inter Milan. Not only are the Rossoneri title contenders, but barring a late-seasons collapse, they'll be playing in the Champions League next season.

Kaka would have to wait at least two seasons - and probably more - to play in Europe's top club competition if he made the mistake of signing with City.

The money being offered is very attractive, but what's always impressed me about Kaka is that he isn't driven by monetary issues. A devout Christian, Kaka loves the game and loves to test himself at the highest level against the best players in the world.

If he goes to City, he won't be to do that in the Champions League for a few years.

Does a player of Kaka's calibre really want to miss out on playing against the likes of Messi, Torres, Ronaldo, Villa, Aguero, Ibrahimovic on club soccer's greatest stage, the Champions League?

Does he really want to take a gamble with his future and sign on with City, when he is virtually assured a lifetime of success, opportunities to regularly test himself on the European stage and cement his status as one of the game's legends if he stays with Milan?

Time will tell.

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