Why are Brazilian football players names on their jerseys different then their real names?

• For example: Kaka's real name is Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, or Ronaldinho whose real name is Ronaldo de ***ís Moreira. Why not put their last names?

• Answer:

  they're known by their nicknames in brasil, that's why. like, alexandre pato. his last name isn't really pato, hisname's pato because he was born in pato branco, which translated means, white duck. kaka's nickname is kaka because when his brotehr he couldn't pronounce ricardo, so he called him kaka, and then his friends started calling him that. ronaldinho's nickname is ronaldinho because people would assosiate him with ronaldo. the inho means little, so they called him little ronaldo. but then people called ronaldo ronaldinho as well, so they added the gaucho. ronaldinho gaucho they all have a little story behind them, and i think it's so cool that they prefer to be recognized by their nicknames rather than their last names.