AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani is proud of their Kaka transfer coup. The return was sealed on transfer deadline day, as Real Madrid released Kaka on a free transfer and the player accepted a large pay cut.
"I told myself that if I went to Madrid there'd be a one per cent chance of getting this deal, but if I stayed in Italy then none whatsoever. It was an extremely difficult negotiation process.
"With regards to the wages, we had some difficulties when the boy's father, Bosco, asked for 20 per cent more than we had offered. If we had gone over that limit, other players in the squad would've come forward to request renewals with higher figures too."
Kaka is now 31 and struggled with injuries throughout his disappointing Real Madrid career, but Galliani assures those problems are behind him.
"We renewed Milan Lab this year and have a huge archive of data going back to 2002. The medics tell me Kaka's numbers are almost the same as 10 years ago. A luminary of medicine reassured me his knee is in great shape. If he didn't perform in Madrid, it was solely down to injuries."
