Alexandre Pato

Alexandre Pato

Personal information
Full name	Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Striker, Winger
Team information
Current team	Milan
Number	7
Youth career
2000–2006	Internacional
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2007	Internacional
2007–	Milan
International career‡
2008–	Brazil Olympic
2008–	Brazil
Medal record Representing Brazil 2008 Beijing Team Competition
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 00:28, 24 October 2009 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 00:28, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva (born 2 September 1989 in Pato Branco, Paraná), commonly known as Alexandre Pato, is a Brazilian striker, currently playing for Italian Serie A club Milan and the Brazilian national team. The nickname "Pato" is in honour of his place of birth, but has led to commentators calling him "The Duck", which is the literal translation of "Pato" from Portuguese.

Early life

Alexandre started playing indoor football (futsal) in his hometown at the age of three. Soon, his ability became known all around the south Brazilian state of Paraná for being skillful and talented goal scorer and, after being praised by many of his managers, the teenager went to Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, to try out for Grêmio. He was turned away by Grêmio, the club whom he had supported since a boy – but local rivals Internacional convinced him to play for them. Despite the two clubs being bitter enemies, Pato’s parents convinced their youngster to switch his allegiance.

In 2000, when he was aged 11, his doctors determined he had a potentially malignant tumor in his left arm, which occurred after he had broken it twice in the same place. If it was not removed, he faced the possibility of it becoming cancerous in two months. His family couldn't afford the surgery but one of their family friends, who is a doctor, operated as a volunteer for free.

Club career

Internacional

On his first team debut on November 26, 2006, at the age of 17, he helped Internacional to a 4-1 win over Palmeiras . In this game, Pato had three assists and also scored a goal. His appearance put the spotlight on the young player and created expectations and comparisons with another Brazilian superstar, the then Real Madrid player, and ex-team-mate Ronaldo.

Following this stunning debut, encem was included in the Internacional squad that travelled to Japan in December 2006 to compete at the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup. Internacional had qualified for this tournament by winning the 2006 Copa Libertadores in August. On December 13, 2006, Pato scored Internacional’s first goal of the tournament in the 23rd minute of the semi-final against African club champions Al-Ahly, played at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo. He was later substituted in the 65th minute due to cramp in his right leg. His replacement, Luiz Adriano, scored in the 72nd minute to give Internacional a 2-1 win and a place in the final against UEFA Champions League champions Barcelona.

The 2006 FIFA Club World Cup Final was played at the International Stadium in Yokohama on December 17, 2006, in front of 67,128 spectators. Alexandre Pato started the game, but was substituted for Luiz Adriano in the 61st minute with the score still 0-0. Therefore Pato was not on the field when Adriano Gabiru scored in the 82nd minute to give Internacional a shock 1-0 win and, ultimately, the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup.

Milan

2007–08 season

Incumbent European champions Milan officially confirmed the signing of Pato on 2 August 2007. Due to FIFA football regulations regarding non-EU minors, Pato was unable to play official matches for Milan until 3 January 2008, when the Italian transfer window and registration reopened. However, Milan was allowed to include the player in friendlies and training beginning 3 September 2007, one day after his 18th birthday. Pato made his non-competitive debut in a 2–2 draw against Dynamo Kiev on 7 September 2007 and scored a header. On 4 January 2008, Pato's transfer to Milan became official.

Pato scored his first Milan goal on his Serie A debut against Napoli in a 5–2 home victory on 13 January 2008. He scored his first brace for Milan, in a 2–0 victory over Genoa at the San Siro on 27 January 2008. He finished the 2007–08 season with 9 goals in 20 appearances (18 in the league).

2008–09 season

In late 2008, Pato scored two goals in Milan's 5–1 win over Udinese just before the Christmas break, and managed to shine again with a brace against Roma the following matchday at the Stadio Olimpico on 11 January 2009, proving that he is a vital part of Milan's attack. He continued his impressive form for Milan, hitting six goals in four games, including a game winning strike against Fiorentina on 18 January. On 15 February, he scored his 11th goal of the season in a 2–1 defeat against home rivals Internazionale. On 26 February, Pato scored his 12th goal of the season against Werder Bremen in the UEFA Cup, a game Milan drew 2–2; but with this, were knocked out the competition on the away goals rule. Pato continued his good form with two goals against Siena on 15 March. Pato finished the 2008-09 season with 18 goals. This meant that Pato finished the 2008-09 season as Milan's top goalscorer.

2009–10 season

On 22 August 2009, in the first Serie A match of the 2009/2010 season, Pato scored a goal in each half during the 2-1 win against Siena. Around two months later, on 21 October 2009, during matchday 3 of the Champions league group stage, Pato scored 2 second half goals in a 3-2 win against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu.He has since played at the right wing in a 4-3-3 formation.

International career

After gaining prominence at club level, Pato was called up for the youth teams of Brazil. He helped Brazil win the 2007 South American Youth Championship, which qualified the country for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and was selected by Brazil coach Dunga for the 2008 Summer Olympics. He scored his first goal for the senior Brazilian team on his debut against Sweden at the Emirates Stadium in England on 26 March 2008, beating Pelé's record of scoring a goal within seconds of his full international debut.

Praise

"I have seen him in training and on the pitch. He is only 19 years of age and I think he can become one of the greatest players in the world."

— former Milan team-mate David Beckham

"He has an incredible shot and great speed. In fact, he is twice as fast as a normal athlete."

— former Milan manager and current Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti

Personal life

Since 2007, Pato had been engaged to Brazilian actress Sthefany Brito, two years his senior. They split up in January 2009 and it was stated that it was a mutual decision as neither of them could keep a long-distance relationship. However, they got back together and on the evening of 7 July 2009, Pato and Sthefany wed in a ceremony at the Copacabana Palace, in Rio.

Career statistics

Club	Season	Domestic League		Domestic Cups		Continental Competitions1		Other Tournaments2		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Internacional	2006	1	1	-	-	-	-	2	1	3	2
	2007	9	5	-	-	7	4	9	3	25	12
	Total	10	6	-	-	7	4	11	4	28	14
Milan	2007–08	18	9	-	-	2	0	-	-	20	9
	2008–09	36	15	-	-	6	3	-	-	42	18
	2009–10	9	4	-	-	3	2	-	-	12	6
	Total	63	28	-	-	11	5	-	-	74	33
Career Total		73	34	-	-	18	9	11	4	102	47

Senior club appearances and goals correct as of 18 October, 2009.

¹Continental Competitions include the Copa Libertadores, Recopa Sudamericana, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup/Europa League
²Other Tournaments include the FIFA Club World Cup and Campeonato Gaúcho

International statistics

As of June 28, 2009

National team	Club	Season	Apps	Goals
Brazil	Milan	2007–2008	3	1
		2008–2009	5	0
Total			11	3

International appearances and goals
#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Result	Goal	Competition
2007–2008
1.	March 26, 2008	London, England	Sweden	1–0	1	Friendly
2.	May 31, 2008	Seattle, United States	Canada	3–2	0	Friendly
3.	June 6, 2008	Boston, United States	Venezuela	0–2	0	Friendly
	June 22, 2008	Volta Redonda, Brazil	Rio de Janeiro State Selection	1–0	1	Unofficial friendly (Brazil U-23)
2008–2009
	July 28, 2008	Singapore	Singapore	3–0	0	Friendly (Brazil U-23)
	August 1, 2008	Hanoi, Vietnam	Vietnam	3–0	1	Friendly (Brazil U-23)
	August 7, 2008	Shenyang, China PR	Belgium	1–0	0	2008 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23)
	August 10, 2008	Shenyang, China PR	New Zealand	5–0	1	2008 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23)
	August 13, 2008	Qinhuangdao, China PR	China	3–0	0	2008 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23)
	August 19, 2008	Beijing, China PR	Argentina	0–3	0	2008 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23)
4.	October 15, 2008	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Colombia	0–0	0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
5.	February 10, 2009	London, England	Italy	2–0	0	Friendly
6.	April 1, 2009	Porto Alegre, Brazil	Peru	3-0	0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
7.	June 10, 2009	Recife, Brazil	Paraguay	2-1	0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
8.	June 15, 2009	Bloemfontein, South Africa	Egypt	4–3	0	2009 FIFA Confederations Cup

Honours

Internacional

• Recopa Sudamericana: 2007
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2006

International

• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2009
• South American Youth Championship: 2007 South American U-20 Championship
• Sendai Cup: 2006
• 2008 Beijing Olympics: Men's football bronze medal

Individual

• Brazilian U-20 Championships Top-Scorer - 2006
• Brazilian U-20 Championships Most Valuable Player - 2006
• Sendai Cup Top-Scorer - 2006
• Sendai Cup Most Valuable Player - 2006
• Serie A Player Of The Month - January 2009

References

Publications

• Celso de Campos Jr., "The Mighty Duck", FourFourTwo, Haymarket Publications, pg. 68-70, November 2007 edition.

External links

• Official site