Alexandre Pato: What happened to AC Milan wonderkid? | OneFootball

Alexandre Pato was once arguably the most exciting young player in the world but is now plying his trade with Orlando City in the MLS, instead of preparing for a World Cup with Brazil like most would have predicted a decade ago.

In a revealing piece with the excellent Player’s Tribune in May, Pato asked the questions on everyone’s lips for much of the last 10 years – “What happened to Pato?”, “Why did Pato not win the Ballon d’Or?” and “Why was Pato always injured?”

Pato looks to debunk the rumours, lies and myths about him in a comparable way fellow Brazilian Adriano did a year prior in the same publication – it is a brilliant platform for allowing players to express themselves in a truly open and honest manner.

Pato was the “next Brazilian superstar” when he joined Milan in 2007

Pato was a youth star in Brazil with Internacional and had the pick of Europe’s top clubs, eventually plumping for AC Milan and their galaxy of household names in 2007.

But just six years later, he was gone largely as a result of injuries and a lack of a proper treatment and recovery plan, as well as Milan’s sharp decline as a force. It was also in 2013 that he played the last of his 27 games for Brazil. He’s never played in a World Cup.

He returned home, signing for Corinthians but that didn’t work out with the fans turning on the “celebrity” footballer. Stints with Sao Paolo, Villareal and Tianjin Quanjian followed, but UK readers might remember him best for a two-game loan spell with Chelsea in 2016. Just one of the many failed strikers at Chelsea down the years.

His career is a cautionary tale for any young player

It was in China with Tianjin that the penny finally dropped for Pato and he began to grow up and take control of his life, seeing a therapist and focusing on mental health and relationships. There was still bumps on the road, but his personal life is now in a good place.

He is a reborn Christian as a result of his now-wife Rebeca’s insistence they go to Church a few years back. Both have changed his life. Pato says himself it took him a long time to work out what was important.

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He might not have become the best player in the world, but he has an amazing family, a loving wife and is at peace with himself. In his own words “The way I see it, I have a lot of Ballon d’Ors. If life is a game, I have won.”

Pato’s honest assessment of his career and the lack of support he received is a cautionary tale for any young footballer today, but it is good he can see the bigger picture.

Despite this, he still loves football and has not given up hope of finally playing at a World Cup, citing Thiago Silva and Dani Alves as inspirations. Now wouldn’t that be a last chapter to the story?