Kaka was ‘completely destroyed’ under Mourinho at Real

Kaka has opened up on his disappointing spell at Real Madrid, admitting he was ‘completely lost’ during his time at the Bernabeu under Jose Mourinho.

The Brazilian, who hung up his boots last year, became one of Real’s Galacticos when he joined the club in a £56million deal from AC Milan in the summer of 2009.

However, after an encouraging first season under Manuel Pellegrini, Kaka struggled for form and fitness during Mourinho’s three-year stint with the Spanish giants.

Kaka won the Ballon d’Or during his time in Milan, but he struggled to live up to his reputation – something he blames partly on his relationship with Mourinho.

“In 2009 I accepted the proposal of Real Madrid, but I was completely destroyed there because I could not give what I had given Milan, I was completely lost,” he said to UOL Esporte.

He added: “Jose Mourinho was a difficult coach for me and we had a respectful but complicated relationship.

“When I thought he would give me a chance, I couldn’t prove to him that I was in good shape.

“I trained, I fought and I prayed a lot, but having not received the confidence of the coach, I realised that I could not work with him.”

However, despite his issues with Mourinho, Kaka revealed that the Portuguese did send him a positive message when he left Real for Chelsea in 2013.

He said: “The joy I had was to receive a message when he left Real Madrid and said that I was one of the most professional players he worked with.”

Kaka departed the Bernabeu during the same summer as Mourinho, returning to AC Milan before spells at Sao Paulo and Orlando City. He retired in December last year.