Juan Mata and Ricardo Kaka - football's nice guys

Kaka, once the darling prince in the colors of AC Milan – and Ballon d’Or winner to boot – never really found his feet in his time at Madrid.

Ricardo Kaka

Admittedly, the circumstances were different – Kaka’s niggling injuries, combined with Mesut Ozil’s subsequent ascent, not to forget Madrid’s penchant for buying anything that moves fast enough for their liking, meant that he had to hit the ground running – or stop running altogether.

And while fellow summer signing Ronaldo never did stop running, even dragging along Karim Benzema (another signing in that summer of Galactico fever) for years on end, Kaka didn’t make the cut.

But his four years at the Bernabeu suggest that Kaka had a similar disposition as our Spanish hero does today – in that they both think of signing for a club to be a genuine commitment. And not simply as a contract that can be discarded when something better comes up, or things don’t work out.

In doing so, Kaka may well have sabotaged his own career. He had no shortage of suitors in those four years, as every transfer window linked him to yet another destination.

Choosing not to act on the temptation shows us a little something about the man. Having lapped up the love of the fans in his days in Milan, Kaka obviously felt a similar obligation toward Madridistas. He often spoke of hoping to put in a shift that pleased the fans – indicative of the connection he feels is necessary for a footballer to succeed at a club.

Mata is much the same – he has made London his home, and would rather stay and cement his status as one of the best players to have graced Stamford Bridge with his talents.

The question remains, though – is it a fair marriage, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, when he is not given the respect that he deserves? It is a two-way street, you know.

Kaka, now in the arms of his beloved Milan again, can only offer a wistful smile to his comrade.

But these two, these nice guys, they deserve better than to finish last, as popular urban wisdom so dismissively suggests.