Brazil star Kaka says he does not feel overly pressured in his role to help deliver World Cup glory.
Real Madrid man not worried by fitness concerns
Brazil star Kaka says he does not feel overly pressured in his role to help deliver World Cup glory.
The Real Madrid player is widely expected to be the spearhead of Brazil's attempts to regain the title they won in 2002.
Coach Dunga chose a changed squad for the finals in South Africa from the one recognisable in 2006, with the likes of households names Ronaldinho and Adriano left out of the final 23-man party.
That means a lot of the hope has been attached to Kaka, who struggled to maintain his fitness for Real during the last campaign.
But the attacking midfielder - who made a £56million move from AC Milan to the Santiago Bernabeu last summer - says he is no stranger to the burden of expectation.
"I do not panic when I think of my role in the current side," Kaka told
The Observer.
"It is quite natural that my experience in two World Cups leads to people seeing me in a more prominent position, especially now that a lot of guys from the 2002 and 2006 teams are not with us any more.
Responsibility
"But I am not the only guy around who can be a reference for the younger guys and the team as a whole. We have a group that has been working together for four years and shown that the collective effort is more important than one player or another.
"But the responsibility has never been a burden for me. It's a consequence of what I have achieved with the national team. It spurs me on."
The 28-year-old's season at Real was blighted by fitness problems, with a groin injury keeping him sidelined for six weeks at the turn of the year.
The injury led to tensions between his current and past employers as the Spanish giants accused the Rossoneri of hiding the player's fitness record while negotiating the big money transfer.
But Kaka says the issue was overstated - and insisted he would be fit in time for his side's Group G opener against North Korea on 15th June.
He added: "I had problems with the groin injury but then there were muscle problems, something natural when a player spends more than a month out of the game.
"I am getting better every day and there is enough time for me to start the World Cup in good condition. There is no reason for panic."
