BRAZILIAN striker Alexandre Pato, 26, is set for a move to Chelsea.
Pato was once regarded as one of the brightest prospects in world football,
and was even given the nickname of ‘the new Zico’ shortly before moving to
AC Milan in 2007.
But threats of prison, a doomed relationship with the daughter of Milan
chairman Silvio Berlusconi, and too many wild parties with Ronaldinho saw
his career slide off track.
So with a move to the Premier League imminent, SunSport has compiled the top
ten things—on and off the pitch—that you need to know about the Brazilian
hit-man.
He left Milan because of Barbara Berlusconi
PATO’S most famous relationship to date was with Barbara Berlusconi, the
daughter of former Italian Prime Minister, and AC Milan owner, Silvio.
They began a relationship in late 2010, with Pato suddenly becoming a member
of Italian high society, pictured in exclusive bars and opera houses with
politicians and business tycoons.
Pato began to celebrate his goals by making a heart-shaped gesture in the
direction of the directors’ box, and it was widely reported that Barbara
prevented Pato being shipped out to PSG when his form dipped.
But in 2013 the relationship turned sour, and the forward was finally moved
on, returning to Brazil with Corinthians.
Pato nearly lost his arm aged 11
A YOUNG Pato twice broke his arm in the same place and went for an x-ray to
determine the extent of the injuries.
At this point, doctors discovered an aggressive tumour in his arm, and
initially feared it would need to be amputated.
But Pato later revealed: “Thankfully I managed to have surgery to have it
removed, and it was a success.”
His ex-wife threatened him with prison
THE striker was married to Brazilian actress Sthefany Brito for nine
months, after the pair tied the knot in 2009.
However, the tempestuous marriage was doomed from the start, with Brito
repeatedly telling the press that she could not cope with Pato’s wild
partying.
And things took a turn for the worse for Pato when Brito threatened to take
him to court and tried to send him to prison when the footballer stopped
paying her maintenance money after the divorce.
Ronaldinho was his Milan drinking buddy
THE Brazilians played for Milan at the same time, and struck up a strong
relationship off the field, where they became good drinking buddies.
The pair were renowned for their hard partying ways in Milan, and it was
rumoured at the time that Ronaldinho’s bad influence contributed to Sthefany
Brito’s decision to divorce the striker.
Brazil don’t want him
WITH his Club World Cup and Champions League goals, Pato is a player of
proven international quality. But he has not represented his country since
2013.
As recently as October, Pato expressed his frustrations at being left out of
the fold, but Brazil team manager Dunga does not believe he is mentally
tough enough.
He said: “We have talked about his emotional issue. Before he has moaned about
not being called up, and then he has failed to produce the same level of
form he was showing beforehand.”
But Miss Brazil does
PATO had a short lived romance with the then Miss Brazil, Debora Lyra, in
2010. Pato had just split up with his long term girlfriend, and the famous
couple were spotted enjoying dates in Venice.
Unfortunately, the relationship which began shortly after the 2010 World Cup
had kicked-off, was over before the tournament had even finished. The pair
later blamed “incompatible agendas”.
Duck or Crab?
Named Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva, Pato’s nickname refers to his place of
birth: Pato Blanco. But the literal translation of ‘Pato’ from Portuguese to
English means ‘duck’.
Italian football fans have a different animal based nickname for him though.
While playing for Milan, he was cruelly termed ‘The Crab’, as he supposedly
moved from side to side without ever going forward.
He’s better than Pele
PATO, aged just 16, played in the Internacional squad which won the 2006
FIFA Club World Cup, the international club competition last won by Real
Madrid.
During the tournament, Pato scored the first goal in a semi-final against
Egyptian side Al-Ahly, which made him the youngest ever player to score in a
FIFA-organised competition, breaking Pele’s record.
He’s on fire
PATO has long been rumoured with a move back to Europe, with English clubs
particularly keen, and his recent goal-scoring record helps to explain that.
In the 2015 Brazilian season he broke the 20-goal mark for the first time in
his career, scoring 26 times for Sao Paulo, where he is on loan from
Corinthians.
He’s more than a little bit injury prone
Perhaps as a consequence of playing so many games as a youngster, Pato is
exceptionally injury prone.
His time at Milan was blighted with muscular injuries, and he only managed to
play more than 30 league games once, in the six seasons he spent at the club.
But Pato placed the blame squarely at Milan’s door, saying: “The problem with
my injuries was that the treatment was done in the wrong way.
“It was rushed. And it is clear from the examinations I have undergone in
Brazil that the problem was not with me. This is proven by the fact that I
have been injury-free since leaving Italy.”