The Brazilian striker who was elected Gloden Boy in 2009 took stock of his career and pointed out the mistakes that prevented him from succeeding on the Old Continent
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Alexandre Pato scored 10 goals with the Brazil national team jersey (AFP)
Alexandre PatoHe knew how to be one of the greatest promises in world football, but when the time came for him to show his potential on the pitch, the striker suffered several injuries, did not live up to expectations and finally left Europe without being able to establish himself. He is currently 32 years old and in the MLS of the United States, from where he carried out an in-depth analysis of his career.
The Brazilian striker published a long article in The Players Tribunewhere he recounted his beginnings as a soccer player, even before he made his debut at Inter de Porto Alegre, when his family barely had money to pay for basic education: “We had food on the table, but in private school I couldn’t even pay for the books. He would present me with photocopies.” After a futsal game, a talent scout recommended his father take him to a tryout at the red club.
It was a nine-hour drive from his hometown to Porto Alegre and when his father arrived he realized that they did not have money to cover the cost of a hotel: “We checked into a sex hotel. I had no idea, I was too young to understand. I think our room had a small bed, that was it. The hotel was in front of Beira-Rio, so people were having sex while looking at Inter’s stadium”.
His performance satisfied the club and he quickly joined the youth team, something that was unimaginable to him a year earlier, when he nearly lost an arm. It is that after having suffered a fracture and having recovered with the help of a cast, a domestic accident (he fell on his own arm) caused him to feel a sharp pain that alarmed the specialists.
“The doctor did an x-ray and found a large tumor. He said, ‘You have to have surgery now , or we’ll have to amputate.’ I was shocked. I was 24 hours away from losing my left arm”. His family did not have money to pay for the costs of the operation, but then the doctor paid what was necessary: “I will never forget that name, Paulo Roberto Mussi. He gave me a new life.”
With Milan he won the Serie A and the Italian Super Cup in 2011
At the age of 17 he was part of the Inter squad that traveled to Japan to play in the World Cup of Clubs against Barcelona of Iniesta, Puyol, Deco, Dugjohnsen and Xavi, among other stars. The Brazilian team won 1-0 due to Adriano Gabiru’s goal and Pato fulfilled his dream of meeting Ronaldinho, with whom he was able to change shirts. What he did not know is that he was soon going to share a dressing room with his idol.
It is that the following year, when he had not even accumulated 30 games as a professional, he received offers from the best clubs in the world such as Ajax, Barcelona itself or Real Madrid. But he opted for Milan: “Have you ever played with that team on the PlayStation? They were unreal!! Kaka, Seedorf, Pirlo, Maldini, Nesta, Gattuso, Shevchenko… Sheva was unstoppable! Or Phenomenon, the REAL Ronaldo. He had to play with that guy. What a lineup, man.They had just won the Champions League. Milan was THE team back then.”
That Italian team was led by none other than Carlo Ancelotti , current Real Madrid coach:“ he became into a father to me. He even named his dog Pato. Did you see that photo of him at the bus stop in Madrid, with the sunglasses and the cigarette? Well, en Milan was going to train in a helicopter. He lived in Parma and his wife knew how to fly one. It was like James Bond. If anyone lived in style, it was Carlo”.
During his stay in the Italian painting, he struck up a great friendship with Cafú and his children, who were practically his age, and also learned from the best. He was even able to observe – he did not dare to participate – a free-throw championship between Ronaldinho, Pirlo, David Beckham and Seedorf.
In 2009 was awarded the Golden Boy,award for the best footballer in the world under 21 years of age, which is why the international press speculated that he would soon win the Ballon d’Or for the best player on the planet. Something that ultimately didn’t happen.
“In 2010 I started injuring myself all the time. I lost confidence in my own body. I was scared of what people would say about me. I went into training thinking I couldn’t get injured.If I got hurt, I didn’t tell anyone. I was recovering from a muscle problem, then I sprained my ankle and kept playing. (Ankle) It was swollen like a ball, but I didn’t want to let the team down. I wanted to please everyone. That was one of my flaws. People expected him to score 30 goals per season, but he couldn’t even get on the field”, he analyzed.
Alexandre wore the shirts of Inter de Porto Alegre, Corinthians and São Paulo in Brazil (Reuters)
The criticism began with physical problems and he soon left from being singled out as the next big star to start being blamed for poor performance: “They wanted blood, sweat and tears. They got the tears right. I paid a high price.”
He then began a tour of clubs including Corinthians, San Pablo, a frustrated return to Milan, Chelsea, Villarreal and even Tianjin Quanjian from China. His level in some was more than acceptable, although he never had the performances he had in his early days at Inter or when he arrived at Milan.
In Corinthians she experienced an unforgettable episode of violence after missing a penalty when trying to bite her in a definition of the Brazilian Cup: “The fans wanted to kill me. She was traveling through the city of São Paulo with armed bodyguards and an armored car with tear gas canisters. The fans who stormed our training camp had bats and knives. It was terrifying. Things happened that have no place in football.”
In Milan he did not have a good time in his last years either because the leadership asked him to continue and he then rejected an offer from PSG, preventing the arrival of Carlos Tevez, who was one of the fans’ favourites: “Silvio ( Berlusconi) told me to stay. He was injured, so the fans were like, “Ooohh, Pato didn’t want to leave! With Tevez we would be champions!”. The press also went crazy.”
May 14, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Orlando City forward Alexandre Pato (7) looks on against Toronto FC during the second half at BMO Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports
In Brazil They discovered that the reason for his constant injuries was related to a shrinkage of his muscles. But by then he had already suffered too much: “A doctor in Germany injected me with a liquid all over my back; the next day he was walking through Munich airport hunched over in pain. A doctor stuck 20 needles in me every morning and every night.” Regarding that stage in which each specialist gave him a different diagnosis, he was sincere: “I cried and cried and cried. I was afraid I would never play football again.”
After his stint in Chinese football, he went to the United States, where he hit rock bottom: “I was still single, so I decided to enjoy my freedom. I went to Los Angeles. He wanted the best hotel, the best car, the best parties. I ended up at this place where a girl was snorting cocaine next to me. Suddenly I was like, ‘What am I doing here?‘. This was not what I wanted. It was an empty world. I asked a friend, “Am I really going to spend the rest of my life alone?” That party changed his life.
On one of his returns to Brazil, he contacted his friend Rebeca, with whom he fell madly in love and within months he proposed to her. Today, she is his wife and the woman in his life. It was her and the Church that changed her mind: “It was a revelation. The Bible had all the answers he was looking for. I turned my head to the sky and said: ‘Lord, I don’t want this life anymore.’
Pato now enjoys his days in MLS wearing the Orlando City and is excited about regaining the level that will lead him to represent the Brazilian national team again, drawing inspiration from cases such as those of Thaigo Silva or Dani Alves. Although this sounds complicated, he is happy with what he has achieved: “Maybe I didn’t become the best player in the world. But, brother, let me tell you something. I have an amazing relationship with my family. I’m in peace with myself. I have a wife whom I love. As I see it, I have many Ballon d’Ors. If life is a game, I’ve won”.