Know Your Player: Alexandre Pato

He has affirmed himself as one of the hottest properties in world football by becoming one of AC Milan’s most important players in recent seasons. iSport’s Pulasta Dhar adds to the list of growing player profiles with Alexandre Pato.

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Name: Alexandre Rodriguez da Silva

Nationality: Brazilian

Place of birth: Pato Branco, Brazil

Date of birth: 2^nd September, 1989

Height: 5 feet 10 inches

Clubs represented: Internacional, AC Milan

Position: Winger, Second Striker

Number: 7

Preferred moves: Lightening pace, Holding up ball, Powerful shot

Alexandre is called ‘Pato’ as a testimony to his birthplace in Brazil. He is an ideal example of somebody’s loss being else’s gain. When a 3 year old Pato showed off his skills in the Futsal arena in Brazil, he was readily given a trial by Gremio, the club he supported. The Brazilian team did not think he was up to the mark and thus he was not given a contract. Soon, he was snapped up by bitter rivals Internacional.

Pato would not have been breathing today had it not been for a family friend doctor, who operated a malignant tumor on his left arm in an area he had broken twice while playing football. He risked it becoming cancerous but a timely intervention saved him and probably gave world football one of Brazil’s most prodigious talents.

Pato is a free scoring player who loves getting forward and for a 20 year old, has some exceptional body strength. He displayed both of these along with a sharp vision when he helped his club win 4-1 on his debut. 3 assists and a goal as a 17 year old went a far way in alerting European clubs that this player had something big to offer. Needless to say, people started calling him the next Ronaldo who was then playing with Real Madrid.

Pato was part of the team that beat Barcelona in the FIFA Club World Championship in 2006 and also scored against Al-Ahly in the semi-final stage. His club went on to shockingly win the tournament against Champion’s League winner’s Barcelona and Pato could not compete more often due to a niggling cramp on his right leg.

AC Milan were quick to snap up this youngster for the 2007-08 season and paid a whopping 22 million Euros to seal his transfer. The youngster could not play for a few months due to being a minor, but as soon as he turned 18, he was in the line-up and scored his first Milan senior goal in a 5-2 thrashing of Napoli. A brace followed quickly and he amassed 9 goals in 20 appearances for the Rossoneri.

2008 was a great season for ‘The Duck’, as he scored within seconds of his international debut against Sweden at the Emirates Stadium and beat Pele’s record for quickest debutant goal. This was in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Today, Pato is considered a very important part of the Brazil squad and will surely make it to the World Cup in South Africa.

The next two years got better for him as he top scored for the Milanese with 18 goals in the 2008-09 season with some crucial goals in the campaign. With so much happening around him and all the attention, the boy handled the pressure with great poise and performances. In the 2009-10 season, he started it off with an award…Seria A Young Footballer of the Year. He has 14 goals this season and also turned out to be a dynamic player by proving he can be equally lethal from the right wing in Leonardo’s formation 4-2-1-3.

Pato is a married man and his wife is the stunning Stephany Brito, a Brazilian actress. With Ronaldinho and Beckham on either side of him when he plays through the middle for Milan at times, Pato gets some great service and has scored some stunning goals. He has mentioned Carlo Ancelotti as a father figure to him and there are rumours circulating that he might play for Chelsea next season.