The Rise and Fall of Alexandre Pato at AC Milan
Alexandre Pato's time at AC Milan might be one of the most interesting when discussing players who didn't live up to their potential. Arriving at a very young age from Internacional de Porto Alegre, there was a lot of expectation surrounding this striker and he seemed to be poised to become the next big thing in Brazilian football.
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Alexandre Pato after scoring a goal for AC Milan
The Beginning of the Hype
Alexandre Pato began to make waves in professional football at seventeen years of age back in 2006 with Internacional de Porto Alegre in Brazil, especially after performing in that year's FIFA Club World Cup, turning into the youngest goalscorer at a senior men's FIFA tournament as he netted against the Egypt team Al Ahly during the semifinals at an age of 17 years and 102 days. This allowed him to break the record of Pelé, who was 17 years and 239 days old when he scored against Wales at the 1958 FIFA World Cup.After promising performances with Internacional in the local league, he signed for AC Milan for a fee of 25 million euros, establishing himself as one of the main players to watch for the foreseeable future. Because of his technical ability and pace, some people drew comparisons to Ronaldo Nazario, who would be his teammate at Milan.
Although he signed in the summer of 2007, he had to wait until January of 2008 to perform because of the non-EU laws for minors. However, once he started, he scored 9 goals in 20 matches across all competitions, which was quite good for a young striker who had just joined the latest UEFA Champions League winners.
Moreover, during the 2008/09 season, the last one with Carlo Ancelotti, Pato had a much greater role, which also fit with his nascent status with the Brazil national team. 18 goals in 42 matches across all competitions was nothing to scoff at and the world seemed destined for him. That was further underlined by the fact that he also won the Golden Boy award as the most promising young player in European football. But things then got complicated.
When Things Started to Fall Apart
Around the time of the 2009/10 season, Pato was already well-established with AC Milan and everything seemed poised to make him the main star of the club. Moreover, the hierarchy of the club wanted him to have a greater role to play within the squad, so everything seemed set for the Brazilian to become what everyone expected him to be.That is when he started to deal with injuries. That would end up being a running issue throughout his career and what ultimately kept him from achieving his potential, which is something he criticized AC Milan for after leaving.
"I did everything that the club and the doctors told me, but the more I tried to recover, the more I injured myself again," Pato told La Gazzetta dello Sport in 2014. "I travelled the world to seek help, but they kept doing things in such a rush, sending me back into action too soon and that is why I kept getting hurt. As soon as I got back to Brazil, I was feeling better already within a week. I wonder why..."
However, a few years later, with a different perspective, he offered a much more mature perspective regarding what happened to him at the time.
"Then in 2010 I started to get injured all the time," Pato said in The Players' Tribune in 2022. "I lost confidence in my own body. I got scared of what people would say about me. I'd go into training thinking, I can't get injured. If I did get hurt, I wouldn't tell anyone. I'd be recovering from a muscle problem, then I'd twist my ankle and play on. 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 were expecting me to score 30 goals a season, but I couldn't even get on the pitch. I could handle that others doubted me. When the doubt comes from within? That's different."
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic arrived to AC Milan
The End of the Milan Dream
The 2010/11 season could be considered the last one from Pato at the highest level. This is when he managed to finally win the Serie A title, being the team's joint top goalscorer alongside new signings Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho. Now a much more seasoned player, it seemed that the world was his oyster.However, the 2011/12 would be filled with injuries, to the point he only scored one goal in Serie A that year. Furthermore, it would be during this season that he would score his most iconic goal, which was the one in the first few seconds of the match against Pep Guardiola's FC Barcelona. An outstanding solo run that encapsulates the player's pace, power, and ability, beating goalkeeper Victor Valdes with ease.
After years of rumors of him going to other top clubs, Pato's exit would be a lot more different, with the striker returning to his home country of Brazil in 2013. Crippled with injuries and wanting to break away from the limelight. Corinthians would become the club for him, which is something that would end up putting an end to his career at the highest level.
Because of injuries and mentality problems, Alexandre Pato never became the striker that a lot of people were expecting him to be. However, because of his potential and the glimpses of brilliance, he still has a lot of fans who hold fond memories of watching him play.
"I played for the best team in the world, AC Milan, with the best player in the world and my idol, Ronaldo," Pato said in an interview in 2025. "I wore the shirts of Brazil and Chelsea, had a valuable experience in China, and returned to São Paulo. Football has given me so much, and I have no regrets. When I look back, I smile. And now I'm enjoying the present."