Kaka , attacking midfielder, BRAZIL

Kapadia: The irony is that this Brazilian team is the first in 18 World Cups where the defenders and the goalkeeper are rated higher than the attacking players. Except for Kaka�and that�s why Brazil�s success depends heavily on him. He has amazing creativity, a fantastic eye to spot the right opening in the play, and he times his passes to perfection. But Kak�s greatest contribution might be psychological. Usually the Brazilian stars love the high life (think Ronaldo or Ronaldinho), and the rest of the team falls under their influence. Kaka is a born-again Christian who believes in strict discipline and is totally selfless on the field�and this will rub off on the rest of the team.

Bencherifa: Kaka can play in a variety of positions�he can be a second striker, a midfield playmaker or an attacking winger. Kaka has fantastic speed, and he can easily run the whole length of a pitch without getting tackled. After Ronaldinho was dropped, the onus of orchestrating the forward line is entirely on Kak�he will have to turn Brazil�s possession into goals.