[Zed.D]

YES, NOW I CAN SAY IT: AT MILAN FOR LIFE!

2/29/2008 5:59:00 PM

'Last year I did not have the faith I have now to say I want to stay at Milan forever. I want to become a symbol, a flag, a captain of this special club.' These are the words of Kaká, who added: 'I'll be there on Tuesday.'

(IMG:http://media2.acmilan.com/200802/9671_news.jpg)

MILANELLO - His was a life choice. An important signature which represents the will of the man and the champion Kaká to remain a rossonero, to become with every day more and more a symbol and flag of this club. The Brazilian revealed his emotions in a long interview to Milan Channel.

'I remember that a year ago Milan Channel also asked me if I wanted to stay at Milan for life. In that circumstance I did not yet have the right confidence but today I do. Now I can say it and I want to. I want to stay a Rossonero for the rest of my career, I want to stay here for life. I remember the last two summers well, full of pressures, 'Ricky goes, Ricky stays'. My renewals have always come at difficult times, like it happened in the summer of 2006 during 'calciopoli'. That's why I did not give the answer I am able to give now before. I apologize for that, but I simply did not feel like I was ready to make such a commitment. But everything is different now, and I can say it without dboubt and a lot of joy.'

'This renewal charges me up, I think about the future and I know I will stay here, forever in this winning team which always starts with the aim to win. For a player that's a good feeling. I never take decisions alone, I talked with my family, my wife Caroline. She told me: 'Ricky, if I could I would sign too.' She's happy with this decision, to remain in Milan and in this club. Milan are always special in the way they treat us.'

'This is my fifth season at Milan, I want to become a symbol, a flag, and one day a captain of this club, with respect for the hierarchies. That day will come, substituting Paolo Maldini will be a great responsibility but before me there are other players and I respect that.

'In a few months I will become a father (Ricky revealed to a subscriber that he will have a son). Caroline and I are awaiting the moment, living everything with great emotion. Every day she feels something special, something new. I stay close to her, I accompany her to each exam, it's a good feeling to know that soon we will have our first son.'

'This fourth signature of mine is a life choice. Galliani knows it, I've told him yesterday as well. What I experienced here has always been intense. I've seen players leave, not just Sheva, who then always told me to evaluate my choices carefully because Milan are different, Milan live of feelings, affection, and this for me is a special value. I am happy to live my career here.'

'I think about when I will be 31 (in 2013), I imagine I will still be in good form. Besides, in this club I only have great examples in front of me which I will try to follow. The first great model of my life was Rogerio Ceni who spent his entire career at San Paolo. Here the example is Maldini. I want to be like them. Reaching Paolo won't be easy, but I will try to come as close as possible to the great targets and statistics which regard him. Scoring many goals, winning a lot. Those are my objectives. I want to enter the history books of this club.'

'If you ask me today who is the best Italian player, I say without a doubt Andrea Pirlo. For the way he behaves on the pitch, for how he plays, he is very important for us. I always feel the difference between when he's on the pitch and when he isn't. When we play I always ask the defenders to give the ball to him, every ball goes through him, he's intelligent, he's a player who's always there in important moments. He'll be there on Tuesday. It will be tough also for him, he's playing a lot and there is some tiredness but on Tuesday he will be ready and for us it will mean a lot.'

'I feel better, yesterday I tried to run and it went well. For tomorrow I am not available, but I'm very confident I will be there on Tuesday.
This hasn't been a good period for me, physically I haven't been doing too well over the last month. The knee, the knock the other day... Physically I'm not at my best. But this week I've had the chance to work a lot, also physically. That was useful for me. I work hard to get in good form on Tuesday and do everything that people expect from me. Against Arsenal it will be a special match, I imagine a sold out San Siro, I remember Milan-Celtic of last year. In the end that turned out to be an unforgettable match, let's hope it will be the same way on Tuesday.'

This post has been edited by zdrossoneri: Feb 29 2008, 09:38 PM