A decent biography for young Christians who like soccer. It includes lots of extra information about the various countries and soccer history. It does not however actually have much about Kaka's life which is something you might have been expecting given the title. This was published in 2010 leading up to the World Cup and it leaves us hanging expecting great things from Kaka at the tournament. This makes the book a little dated now. ( )

NCLA Review - This part Christian biography and part soccer fact book tells the story of how Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, nicknamed Kaka, becomes the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2007. As a Brazilian child, Kaka knows he wants to play soccer in the adult leagues. His family is affluent enough to send him to soccer training programs. He plays in youth soccer leagues where he excels. Raised in a Christian family, Kaka is vocal about his faith as a child and throughout his career. “I Believe in Jesus” is printed on his soccer shirts and “God is faithful” is on his cleats. When he suffers a waterslide injury that could have left him paralyzed, he attributes his recovery to God. In addition to telling the story of Kaka, this book provides sections of information on the country of Brazil and on the international sport of soccer. Written for ages 8-12, this book will especially appeal to boys who regard Kaka as their sports hero. Rating: 3 —BM ( )

With the World Cup just around the corner it's no surprise that books about soccer are starting to be released. This one is aimed at kids and young teens and the content reflects such. However, it might also make a decent read for those soccer moms not familiar with, but who have an interest in, Kaka, soccer or the World Cup in general.
As an adult who has followed soccer since I was knee high to a grasshopper I found this offering to be lacking depth. Kaka does not input in any way to this book and all his quotes are taken from secondary sources such as newspaper articles and magazine interviews. The book isn't just about Kaka either as the title would suggest. In fact there's as much content that is not about Kaka as there is content about him with frequent forays into such topics as past soccer players, the World Cup tournaments and the demographics of Brazil.
Intertwined with Kaka's life story is information on his devotion to God and how his belief has helped him overcome life's obstacles. Although his faith is one of the main aspects of the book it isn't out and out preachy and subtle enough not to turn off the casual reader who has no interest in Christianity.
'Toward the Goal' may not be the literary equivalent of scoring the winning penalty in the world cup final but, in relation to the younger audience, it would certainly progress from the group stages.
All in all I was a tad disappointed with this book but then again I'm not of the demographic that this book is produced for and those of a younger age might well find it an enjoyable read. ( )