Kaka has struggled to cement his place in the starting 11 of Jose Mourinho's side having made only five appearances in La Liga this season.

And the 66-year-old, who won the World Cup in 1970, suggested the Real playmaker would be better off returning to his first club Sao Paulo if he were to leave the La Liga giants.

"He wants to play, but he is having problems getting Mourinho to use him," Rivelino told Marca. "Kaka could go to a smaller team where he could play more games.

"If he leaves he should return to Sao Paulo. After all, it is his home. It would be great if Real Madrid let him leave to get games but we might have to accept that it will not happen."

Rivelino hit out at former Brazil boss Mano Menezes indicating that he should have been sacked sooner.

"We expected a lot from Menezes and he did not deliver,' he said. "We are still not sure who Brazil's regular goalkeeper and centre-forward are – two vital positions.

"It was obvious that he wasn't going to make it to the World Cup."