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Kaká holding up a Milan 'KAKÁ 22' shirt beside his Hall of Fame plaque naming him 2026 inductee
Football

Kaká inducted into AC Milan Hall of Fame before derby win over Inter

Brazilian legend Ricardo Kaká was inducted into the AC Milan Hall of Fame on Saturday, shortly before the Derby della Madonnina against Inter at San Siro.

Sola Amusan3 min read

Brazilian legend Ricardo Kaká was inducted into the AC Milan Hall of Fame on Saturday, shortly before the Derby della Madonnina against Inter at San Siro. He was moved to tears as the club honoured his achievements there, where he made 307 appearances and scored 104 goals.

Milan won the derby 3-1, ending Inter's unbeaten run in this season's Serie A. Kaká was presented with the honour on the pitch before kick-off, and he told DAZN what the moment meant to him:

"It's very difficult to put into words the feelings I get here when I'm in San Siro with all the Milan fans."

Kaká also re-enacted his famous goal celebration, raising two index fingers to the sky as he jogged.

Kaká had arrived at Milan in 2003 after scoring 22 goals in 49 games for São Paulo. On his competitive debut he left Rui Costa, Seedorf and Rivaldo on the bench.

Milan's Moreira was the man of the match. He wore the No. 22 shirt, a number he chose in honour of his idol Kaká, and Gazzetta dello Sport said he played like a Brazilian. He set up Christian Pulisic's opening goal with a perfect assist, and his short-corner idea led to Adrien Rabiot's second.

Luka Modric had the ball tucked under his arm when Moreira asked for permission to take the free-kick, and Modric did not need much persuading. Moreira's strike made it 3-1 in the first half. "I was confident, it was my first goal from a free-kick in a match," he said, adding that he had scored them in training but never in a game. It was Milan's third direct free-kick scored against Inter in all competitions since the days of Andrea Pirlo, after Pirlo's in December 2007 and Theo Hernandez's in the Supercoppa Italiana in January 2025.

Moreira had one goal and two assists. "It's the best night since I joined Milan, of course," he said. "It's an honour to play like this in front of him, but please, no comparisons." He is only the second Milan player in the last twenty years to be involved in three goals in a Serie A derby against Inter, after Rafael Leao on 3 September 2022. His four league goals leave him one behind Rabiot's five.

Moreira added: "We must stay focused one match at a time, we cannot think about the scudetto right now."

Kaká was asked about Brazilians returning to Milan. "I like to see Brazilians at top clubs - I'd like to see them again at Milan," he replied, and he praised Luka Modric: "I like Luka Modric a lot anyway, he's a friend of mine as well." He then suggested reviving an old chant once dedicated to Andriy Shevchenko, "he's not Brazilian, but...", for Christian Pulisic.

Milan face Ferencvaros next, in the Europa League.

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