Dunga calls up Kaká to Brazil squad to replace Douglas Costa

Former world footballer of the year Kaka has been included in Dunga’s Brazil squad ahead of next month's Copa America Centenario with the former Real Madrid flop coming in to replace Bayern Munich midfielder Douglas Costa, who picked up a thigh injury.

The 34-year-old Orlando City front man, the highest-paid player in MLS, was expected to immediately join Brazil's camp at Los Angeles and miss his club's Sunday match at New York City FC.

Kaka, who had been omitted from the Canarinho 23-man squad for the centenary edition of the South American championship, is Brazil’s most capped player and highest scorer with 91 international appearances and 29 goals to his name.

The 2007 Ballon d’Or winner has featured in three World Cups, including Brazil's triumphant 2002 trophy run in South Korea and Japan, but strangely the former AC Milan star has never played in a Copa America.

Brazil, one of the favourites to lift the title, will get their campaign started on 4 June against Ecuador at Pasadena, California, and will later face Haiti on 8 June at Orlando and Peru on 12 June at Foxboro, Massachusetts.

Three other injury replacements were approved Friday by the Copa medical committee, with Panama dropping Porto teen striker Ismael Diaz for Martin Gomez and Paraguay adding Serie A's Udinese full-back Ivan Piris for Club America's Pablo Aguilar and midfielder Victor Ayala in place of Nestor Ortigoza.