In the section ‘Forgotten Footballers’ it says Football zone with some regularity silent on a player who, despite the high expectations, has slowly fallen into oblivion. This time the focus is on Alexandre Pato, who we know in Europe mainly from his employment with AC Milan and the necessary nasty injuries he sustained over the years. A loan period at Chelsea in 2016 was not a resounding success and at the age of 32 Pato wears the shirt of Orlando City SC, an ambitious Major League Soccer club where Nani was also under contract for a while.
Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva was born on September 2, 1989 in Pato Branco, the Brazilian name for white duck, which he later partially adopted as a football name. That the attacking and adventurous player has the necessary qualities in his younger years is not long a secret for the numerous scouts of Internacional, where Pato joins the famous youth academy at the age of eleven. A glittering professional-level career seems to be shattered when the Brazilian talent breaks his left arm no less than twice. The doctors study the X-rays and are shocked by what they see. It turns out that Pato has a tumor. The fear is of course good for the top player in the making and his family and there is even the fear that an amputation would become inevitable.
Pato plays in the shirt of Orlando City in the fall of his career.
Nine years later, in 2009, Pato looks back on the black page in his early life. “At the age of 11, when I was not yet at Internacional, I broke my left arm twice in the same place. The tests indeed showed that I had a tumor in my arm. And fearful reports immediately came out about a possible amputation,” it sounds in an extensive interview with Esporte Espetacular† “Fortunately, the tumor was surgically removed and it all went off without a hitch. There was no risk of dying, but if I hadn’t had surgery at the time, I wouldn’t have been able to pursue my greatest hobby: playing football. My arm was certainly in danger at that time.” During the rehabilitation period after the operation, which eventually takes six months, the still very young Pato has only one goal in mind. One of the greatest talents on the Brazilian fields just wants to go back. play football every day and get back to his old, familiar life as soon as possible. “It was terrible to come home with the realization that I couldn’t move at all.”
Pele played from the books
Concerns about his left arm and the associated surgery leave Pato determined to succeed as a professional soccer player and enjoy life to the fullest. His new view on the world sees the young playmaker making great strides through the youth division of Internacional. In 2006, at just sixteen years old, his long-awaited debut in the first team of Clube do Povo, the people’s club. His baptism of fire is like a dream come true as Pato scores within a minute and is a real plague for the Palmeiras defenders for the rest of the game with his many dribbles and passes. In the 77th minute, the star is taken to the side with great applause. 2006 is in any case a good year for Pato, who that year beats a record of living legend Pelé from the books. At the World Cup for club teams, he scores in the semi-final against Al Ahly. At that time, the talent is 17 years and 102 days old. Pelé was 17 years and 239 days old when he scored for the Brazil national team at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.
In the spring of 2008, an old record of Pelé disappears at the hands of Pato. At Wembley, under the watchful eye of more than 60,000 spectators, he makes his debut in the final phase as a substitute in the iconic Brazil shirt. With one of his first ball contacts, Pato then scored the winning goal in the friendly against Sweden (1-0). The midfielder, who was recruited by AC Milan in 2007, is only 18 years and 205 days old. Due to problems surrounding his registration, Pato has to wait until January 2008 for his debut for the Italian superpower. It turns out not to be a problem as he livens up his baptism of fire at the San Siro with a goal in the 5-2 win over Napoli. The Brazilian closes the 2007/08 season with eight goals. In the three following seasons, Pato scored eighteen, fourteen and sixteen times respectively. In the meantime, however, it also becomes clear that the Brazilian sensation appears to be particularly prone to injury. It makes the then national coach Dunga decide not to win Pato to the 2010 World Cup, which, despite the favorite role, already ends in the quarterfinals due to a 2-1 defeat against the Dutch national team.
Gradually, doubts also arise in the leadership of AC Milan. In Milan and the surrounding area, questions are increasingly being raised about the professionalism of the still young and fairly inexperienced Pato. What also doesn’t seem to help is the marriage with Brazilian actress Sthefany Brito, which lasts only nine months. It is a much-discussed theme in the Brazilian media and, of course, various stakeholders are asked for a response. A good friend of Brito indicates after the divorce that the now ex-wife of Pato had put her promising television career on the back burner to give the footballer all the space. She soon regretted it, especially as Pato is increasingly seen in Milan’s nightlife, often together with Brazilian legend Ronaldinho. Years later, he looks back on one of his first encounters with Ronaldinho through a hilarious anecdote. “In the dressing room I sat next to him and Paolo Maldini, while Kaka had a seat opposite me,” he wrote FOX Sports on. “Ronaldinho immediately said: ‘You have to choose: either you go out with me, or you end up in Kaka’s group’. While he said that, he showed a Playboy. I did not expect that from someone I especially love. I knew about the PlayStation. But they were defining moments in my life.”
Pato had a much-discussed relationship with Barbara Berlusconi, the daughter of Silvio Berlusconi, for over two years.
According to Brito’s girlfriend mentioned earlier, Pato is increasingly aggressive and even destroys things in their luxurious apartment in Milan. It is whispered that he cannot bear the fact that invitations to the Brazilian team are invariably not forthcoming. Ricardo Brajterman, Brito’s lawyer, goes the extra mile by stating that Pato cuts her credit card, cuts off the internet when he leaves and basically leaves Brito to her own devices when he has obligations at AC Milan. The accusations from the Brito camp come as a shock to the Pato clan. A friend of the family soon comes to the rescue in conversation with the Brazilian press. “I have known Alexandre since childhood. He is not someone with aggressive tendencies at all.”
Division in AC Milan dressing room
Alecsandro Rodrigues da Silva, brother and agent of Pato, is of course also asked for an opinion in those hectic days. However, the advocate is reluctant to add fuel to the fire. “I have nothing to say about this at all.” Pato leaves the widely reported marital troubles behind and starts a relationship with the five years older Barbara Berlusconi, the daughter of the well-known owner and president of AC Milan, Silvio Berlusconi. It’s causing division in the locker room, a source close to the mighty president reveals media set† “The other players really have to bite their tongues in the vicinity of Pato. So they can’t say anything about the club and the board. If your teammate is dating the president’s daughter, you have to be extra careful.” The source also adds that the Milan squad is blaming the influential and powerful Barbara Berlusconi for Pato’s form crisis.
Meanwhile, it is clear that Pato has had his day as an AC Milan contract player. A transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2012 is in order, but falls into the water at the last minute. A year later, Pato’s European adventure comes to a premature end, who hopes to return to the picture of the national team at Corinthians. The 2014 World Cup in his own country is his ultimate dream, but this dream turns into a nightmare. The midfielder plays his last international match in 2013 and watches the final round a year later on television. This World Cup also ends in minor for Brazil, which is slaughtered in the semi-finals by the later world champions Germany: 1-7. Pato also plays for São Paulo on Brazilian soil, before returning to the European fields. Short spells at Chelsea and Villarreal followed and a trip to China with Tianjin Tianhai. Through a second job in the shirt of São Paulo, Pato ends up at Orlando City in his early thirties. His contract with the club from the always sunny Florida has now been extended until the last day of 2022.
In the autumn of his sometimes turbulent career, Pato is once again confronted with a major setback off the field. Sister Gisele Rodrigues was diagnosed with cancer in 2018. He is very concerned about the whole situation and on Instagram you can see how Pato shaves his sister’s hair. After Gisele is fully healed, the 27-time international posts a particularly loving text. “You have won the battle, beautiful. You are really an example. I hereby call on all women to have regular tests, make sure you have enough protection! My family and I were really terrified. So my advice is: get tested. ” It makes Pato realize that life is short and that everything becomes relative when health is not in order. The routine acts as a cliniclown in December 2018 and in that capacity he visits seriously ill children in hospital. The visit makes a great impression on Pato. “This is one of the most memorable days of my life.” To immediately give a message to the sometimes critically ill children. “Never lose hope!”