Former AC Milan star Kaka has revealed his frustrations at the fall of the Milanese teams when it comes to the Champions League.
The Brazilian icon won Europe's premier club competition in 2006-07 but the Rossoneri have not lifted the trophy since.
Bitter rivals Inter Milan, under Jose Mourinho in 2009-10, are the only other Italian side to win the tournament since Kaka was part of the side that beat Liverpool 2-1 in Athens and he is frustrated at the current plight of the city's teams.
'Both clubs are historic teams, Milan is a beautiful city and Italy is a wonderful country,' Kaka told Gazzetta dello Sport. 'It makes me sad that we don't see the Milanese teams in the latter stages of the Champions League.
'I believe that it is a vicious cycle, with the revenue from the Champions League, you can buy better players and return to the highest level.'
Kaka spoke on a number of topics ahead of Sunday's eagerly-anticipated Milanese derby at the San Siro.
AC Milan are yet to lose a game since the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, while Inter need to win to keep the pressure on Juventus and Lazio in the title race.