Kaka speaks to the media at a press conference in Miami in 2016. At the time, Kaká was an attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer team Orlando City.
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Brokers and developers in South Florida expect the World Cup to kick off a real estate buying frenzy in Miami.
While the World Cup surge doesn’t appear to have been as dramatic as predicted, one high-profile soccer star spent $8.7 million on a Miami-Dade apartment last month, according to public records.
Retired Brazilian soccer legend Ricardo Isekson dos Santos Leite, better known as Kaka, has purchased a 3,345-square-foot, three-bedroom apartment in Bal Harbour. Kaká, who played on Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning team, is considered one of the greatest players of all time.
His new apartment in the Oceana Bal Harbor building was listed for sale in January for $9.5 million, according to a local multiple listing service. This 14th floor room features east and west facing balconies with views of the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. Oceana is a 24-story, 226-unit building that was completed in 2016.
Michael Martinez of ONE Sotheby’s International Realty represented the seller and Jennifer Olmeda of WRA Real Estate Solutions LLC represented the seller.
The previous owner of the apartment was Gaston Siciliano, who purchased it for $6.5 million in 2022, according to Miami-Dade property records.
Kaka (right) celebrates with his teammates during a 2010 World Cup game in Johannesburg, South Africa. Stuart Franklin Getty Images
Kaká, now 44, began his career at 18 with Brazilian club Sao Paulo and later played for AC Milan and Real Madrid. He finished his club career in Florida, playing for Major League Soccer team Orlando City FC until his retirement in 2017. The attacking midfielder played for Brazil at the World Cup in 2002, 2006 and 2010.
Kaka is far from the first soccer star to buy property in South Florida. Earlier this year, another member of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning team, Ronaldo Nazario, bought an apartment near Kaka’s new home. Ronaldo spent $8 million on a waterfront penthouse in the Bay Harbor Islands.
Inter Miami star Lionel Messi, whose Argentina team will take on Switzerland in the World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday, bought a $10.8 million home in 2023 in the Bay Colony neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale. Inter Miami FC president and co-owner David Beckham owns an $80 million waterfront estate on North Bay Road in Miami Beach.
Take a look at the football star’s new apartment
The living room in the new Bal Harbor apartment owned by former Brazilian football player Kaká overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. 1OAKSTUDIO 
East-facing balconies offer views of the Atlantic Ocean as well as the apartment building’s two pools. 1OAKSTUDIO 
The dining area in the apartment is decorated with rotating mirror panels. 1OAKSTUDIO 
Brazilian soccer star Kaka recently bought the kitchen in his Bal Harbor apartment for $8.7 million. 1OAKSTUDIO 
Biscayne Bay is visible from the apartment’s west-facing balcony. 1OAKSTUDIO
Katherine Odom
Miami Herald
Katherine Odom covers real estate for the Miami Herald. Previously, she interned in the government team of Vestnik and worked as a journalist in Germany and Armenia. She is a graduate of Northwestern University.