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 Kaká’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 Kaká—he will have to turn Brazil’s possession into goals.