2007 Ballon d'Or winner Kaka has revealed that the best memory of his four-year stint with Real Madrid was, oddly, the day he left the club.
The retired playmaker has provided a perhaps unusual reflection of his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, although very few would be surprised by his remark given that he largely failed to live up to expectations following his €67 million (R1.1 billion) transfer to Real from AC Milan in 2009.
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Kaka, who was the last Brazilian to win the Golden Ball, arrived in Madrid on the back of a stellar season at the San Siro, during which he registered 16 goals and 12 assists for the Rossoneri.
In his first campaign with the LaLiga club, he made 33 appearances and contributed with a decent nine goals and 12 assists across all competitions.
Jose Mourinho's arrival in the Los Blancos helm the following season, however, would seemingly spell disaster for the former attacking midfielder as injuries and a lack of trust in him by the new boss saw his game time reduced to just 20 games in that campaign.
In the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons, it was clear the likes of Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria had jumped ahead of him in the Real pecking order, with Kaka eventually parting ways with the Spanish giants after four years.
The 40-year-old has now explained why his September 2013 exit from the Santiago Bernabeu on a free transfer was the best moment of his turbulent spell at Los Blancos.
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"The best memory at Real Madrid is the day I left because Florentino told me I was a great professional who had done everything possible to achieve great results at Madrid, but the injuries and the few minutes the coach gave me did not allow it," he told Spanish newspaper Marca.
"That was a great satisfaction.
"This is why you will never hear me speak bad of Real Madrid or Jose Mourinho."
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