Age: 27
Occupation: Soccer player
Previous TIME 100 Appearances: 0
Brazilian soccer player Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite — or "Kaká," as he is known to friends and fans — has just cemented his superstar status. The remarkable midfielder, who was named World Player of the Year in 2007, recently signed a six-year, €65 million contract with the Spanish football club Real Madrid in one of soccer's biggest transfer deals. Though reactions to his performance since he joined Real have been mixed, Kaká will return to his national team to compete in the upcoming World Cup, hoping to prove that he is worth his weight in gold.