As was often the case at Real Madrid, a team of superstars does not always guarantee success. The arrival of David Beckham at AC Milan, allied to Ronaldinho and Kaka, has created a similar Galacticos environment for the Italian giants. Big names, even bigger expectations.
But judging by the toil in training at the Al Nasr club, and the sight of the players drenched in sweat after heavy sessions on the pitch or in the gym, Milan need to work hard to reach the top again. Sacrifice is the key according to Kaka. He says the camp and the Dubai Football Challenge match against Hamburg on Tuesday at the Sevens, organised by the Football World Series and backed by Dubai Tourism and Emirates Airline, can help avoid any star wars, like who will take the free kicks.
"It's very important for us," Kaka said. "We can train together, stay together, make a group. We have a lot of stars and superstars, but the sacrifice is more important. If every player thinks about the team then we can become a strong group to achieve our target. Beckham has brought his talent and professionalism and can help us [until his loan spell ends in March]. "We hope he can stay for us longer than this; I will ask him. For me he's a great player and he can still play in a very good competition like the English, Italian or Spanish championship. I think he can play at the top level."
The top is where Kaka wants to be, personally and for the team. Despite the relentless links with a move to England, the Brazilian midfielder will strive to help end Milan's five-year barren spell without the Scudetto, and elevate him above Cristiano Ronaldo as the world's best player, a title he claimed in 2007. "For sure I want to come back to win another Ballon D'or and another Fifa World Player award," he added.
"I can do a lot of things with Milan and the Brazil team and I expect to arrive at this [stage] again. "Yes, I still have the hunger and desire. "Also the team. Milan had a good phase from 2003-2007, winning the league, the Champions League and Fifa Club World Cup. Now we are trying to arrive at another good phase, another good cycle. I hope the bad phase for Milan was just one year. "I think we can still win the championship [this season]. We are nine points behind, but we can get in front of Inter.
"They are doing very well, but Milan can do a lot of things better than we did before." akhan@thenational.ae
