Samba artist to dazzle Dubai fans on January 8

Dubai: AC Milan and Brazilian star Kaka will be in Dubai for the Emirates Challenge, to be played at the Al Nasr Club in Dubai on January 8.

The 25-year-old Brazilian playmaker is bound to be an attraction for the one-off exhibition match -dubbed the Emirates Challenge - after being picked as the man of the tournament at the Fifa Club World Cup held in Japan last Sunday.

Kaka's presence will be an added gift to soccer enthusiasts in the region after his team AC Milan wrap up their short winter break here.

AC Milan are due to start their training in Dubai from January 2. The team is travelling to Dubai courtesy of Emirates airline.

The Emirates Challenge is the precursor to the Dubai Football Challenge, to be played at the same venue from January 10.

The other teams participating in the Dubai Football Challenge are Vasco Da Gama from Brazil, SV Hamburg from Germany and the national teams of China and hosts UAE.

Kaka's goal, along with a goal from Alessandro Nesta and a double from Fillippo Inzaghi, helped AC Milan beat Boca Juniors 4-2 and become the first European team to win the Fifa Club World Cup.

The exhibition match between the UAE and AC Milan is meant to give Bruno Metsu's squad some valuable exposure before they embark on their preparations for the second leg of matches of the 2010 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.