‘It was a sign from God, not a coincidence’: Kaka denies AC Milan’s ‘magical’ Champions League victory over Liverpool 13 years ago today was ‘revenge’ for the Miracle of Istanbul in 2005
- Kaka believes AC Milan’s 2007 Champions League victory was a ‘sign from God’
- The Italians threw away a 3-0 lead in the 2005 final where Liverpool triumphed
- They met again two years later but this time the Serie A side came out on top
- The Brazilian also said the victory was not ‘revenge’ for their defeat in Istanbul
Kaka has recalled AC Milan’s victory over Liverpool in the 2007 Champions League final as a ‘sign from God’.
The Italians threw away a three-goal lead in the final between the two sides in 2005 as Rafa Benitez’s men came back to clinch a dramatic victory on penalties.
A re-run of that final took place two years later, thirteen years ago today, but this time the Serie A team came out on top.
Kaka believes AC Milan’s victory in the 2007 Champions League final was a ‘sign from God’
He said it was not a coincidence they played Liverpool after losing to them two years earlier
Dirk Kuyt set up a tense finish after Pippo Inzaghi had given Milan a 2-0 lead but Carlo Ancelotti’s side held on and Kaka, who played both finals, said it was not a coincidence that their victory came over the Merseyside team.
‘It was a sign from God, not a coincidence,’ Kaka told the official Milan website.
‘I don’t like to call it revenge, but it was marvellous and magical.
Liverpool came from 3-0 down to take the 2005 final to extra-time before winning on penalties
‘The team was different to 2005, as we no longer had Hernan Crespo or Andriy Shevchenko, but the foundations were the same.
‘It was almost the same team, but a very different Final and one that went down in history.’
‘Pippo started running without even looking at the ball on the first goal, as he hoped the goalkeeper would parry Andrea Pirlo’s shot and knew where to be for the rebound. He just knew.
The Brazilian denied that Milan’s victory in 2007 was ‘revenge’ for their hurt from Istanbul
‘On the second goal, you could see it was just me and Pippo upfront, but I knew his movements so perfectly that I was already well aware of what he’d do next. I prepared to give him the pass, it was all so precise, and he moved further out wide so he’d have the space to kick it. It’s all about the details.’
The Brazilian admitted that fear kicked when Kuyt gave Liverpool a lifeline.
‘It felt horrible when Kuyt scored and the ghosts of 2005 were threatening to haunt us again. It was a battle of wills and we felt the fear, the “oh no, it’s happening again” feeling. Fortunately, we held out and were able to celebrate at the end.
‘We all had very different feelings during the celebrations. It was my first Champions League, a dream come true, whereas it was Paolo Maldini’s fifth. It felt like coming full circle, the perfect conclusion to that team’s time together.’
The midfielder said he felt the victory was the perfect conclusion for him and his team-mates