Jump to content

Alexandre Pato

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 131.251.134.152 (talk) at 12:52, 27 May 2009 (goals). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Rodrigues and the second or paternal family name is da Silva.
Alexandre Pato
Personal information
Full name Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker
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
Medal record
Representing  Brazil
Men's Football
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Beijing Team Competition
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 May 2009
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 May 2008

Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva (born 2 September 1989, in Pato Branco, Paraná), better known as Alexandre Pato, is a Brazilian striker currently playing for Italian Serie A club A.C. Milan. The nickname 'Pato' is in honour of his place of birth but has led to commentators calling him 'The Duck' following the English translation.

Early life

Alexandre started playing indoor football (futsal) in his hometown at the age of 3. 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. Despite dreaming of signing for Grêmio who he had supported since a boy, he was persuaded to sign for Internacional, at age eleven by his parents. It is not known why his parents persuaded him to sign for Internacional, as Internacional and Grêmio are such fierce rivals.[2]

In 2000, when he was aged 11, his doctors determined he had a potentially malignant tumor in his arm, which occurred after he broke it. 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. The next year, Pato moved to the Internacional academy and started sharing housing with 83 other teenagers that, much like him, wanted to make a name for themselves in the first team.[3]

Club career

Internacional

When Pato scored for Internacional in the FIFA Club World Cup aged only 17 years and 102 days, and became the youngest ever goalscorer in a FIFA official club competition, beating his illustrious compatriot Pelé's record by 137 days. Pato's performances for Internacional and the Brazil youth teams brought attention from Europe's top clubs and A.C. Milan won the race for his signature in August 2007 paying out the minimum release clause in his contract to the tune of €22 million (£19.6 million).

Milan

Incumbent European champions A.C. Milan officially confirmed the signing of Pato on 2 August 2007.[4] Due to Italian 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.[5] 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.[6]

Pato scored his first Milan goal on his Serie A debut against S.S.C. 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).

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 A.S. Roma the following matchday at the Stadio Olimpico on 11 January 2009, proving that he is a vital part of Milan's offense. He continued his impressive form for Milan, hitting 6 goals in 4 games including a game winning strike against ACF 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.

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 has been selected by Dunga for the 2008 Summer Olympics.[7] 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" [8]

— A.C. Milan team-mate David Beckham

"He has an incredible shot and great speed. In fact, he is twice as fast as a normal athlete" [8]

— A.C. Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti

Personal life

Since 2007, Pato has been engaged in a relationship with Brazilian actress Sthefany Brito, two years his senior. They broke up in January 2009, and it is said that they both agreed on breaking up because they cannot keep a long-distance relationship.[9] According to Goal.com magazine, Pato has since gotten back together with Sthefany Brito and they are currently engaged to be married.[10]

Career statistics

Club career

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
33
14
-
-
6
3
-
-
39
17
Total 51 23 - - 8 3 - - 59 26
Career Total 61 29 - - 15 7 11 4 87 40

Senior club appearances and goals correct as of 10 May, 2009.

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

International career

As of April 1, 2009[11][12]

Honours

Internacional

Brazilian national football team

Individual

    • 2006 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

References

Publications

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

Citations

  1. ^ "A.C. Milan FC profile". A.C Milan. 2008-07-16. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  2. ^ "Alexandre Pato biography". Alexandre Pato fansite. May 3, 2009. Retrieved May 3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Alexandre Pato biography". Alexandre Pato fansite. May 3, 2009. Retrieved May 3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Alexandre Pato to Milan!". A.C. Milan. August 2, 2007. Retrieved August 2. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Pato ducks in at the San Siro". uefa.com. August 3, 2007. Retrieved August 3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Lega: Pato contract registered". A.C. Milan. January 4, 2008. Retrieved January 4. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Dunga convoca 22 jogadores para Seleção Olímpica". Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (in Portuguese). 2007-11-26. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
  8. ^ a b "Pato hailed by David Beckham". Daily Mail. 2009-05-03. Retrieved 2009-05-03. Cite error: The named reference "Pato hailed by David Beckham" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Pato and Sthefanys Brito end their engagement". www.patohome.com. 2009-05-11. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
  10. ^ "Pato and Sthefany Brito back together again". www.patohome.com. 2009-05-11. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
  11. ^ Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 2008-2009
  12. ^ Seleção Brasileira Restritiva (Brazilian National Restrictive Team) 2004-2008

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexandre_Pato&oldid=292655564"