Stephen Maio

In need of a boost both domestically and in Europe, AC Milan couldn’t wait until the winter break ended. What they were waiting for was the ace up Carlo Ancelotti’s sleeve, the club’s only off-season acquisition, and one of the most highly anticipated debuts of any professional player in recent history.

It was with great anticipation that a largely pro-Milan crowd entered the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on January 13, 2008 to watch a Serie A game against newly promoted SSC Napoli.  The first game following the restart of the campaign is always given weeks of strategical breakdowns and analysis, a nice welcoming back for the starved fans who never like taking a break from the game.  The seasons for both clubs had been assessed, and each team had a better idea of what it needed to do in the second half in order to achieve their goals.  It was a big game for the Neapolitans as well, after years of suffering through bankruptcy and a match-fixing scandal in the dungeons of the lower divisions, they were to grace the field against the defending European Champions.  But every fan knew while traveling to the game that afternoon, that for a particular reason, this game was considerably larger then just one to restart the campaign.  The game was put into the broadcast primetime slot for a reason.  It was to be the unveiling of the world’s next international superstar, the debut of Alexandre Pato, AC Milan’s 22 million dollar signing from Internacional, at the ripe age of just 18.

The game was an entertaining attacking display.  Both teams traded shots until Milan finally took control and cruised to a 5-2 victory.  The crowd was dazzled by the offensive display of both clubs, and particularly the home side’s collective attacking weapons.  At the final whistle, everyone leaving the stadium had agreed on the same point; the prodigy had lived up to the hype that followed his arrival.  Scoring a goal and setting up 2 others, Alexandre Pato was everything he was spoken to be.  The devastation device from Pato Branco that loomed in hype for months had just exploded onto the scene.

At this point he has 5 goals in just 9 Serie A appearances, and had also been a vital jumper cable to AC Milan’s Champions League assault.  The kid has entertained the crowd with his attractive and energetic displays, as well as taken the heat off Kaka and provided another deadly attacking dimension.  Pato possesses raw talent; blazing speed, a powerful shot and the ability to dribble in a phone booth.  That fact that he is only just 18 is quite honestly, frightening.  But who really is this fresh faced, curly haired boy we’ve heard so much about, running wild on Sunday’s like a world class striker in his prime?

Born Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva (September 2 1989) in Pato Branco, Parana, Brazil, there was every reason to suggest he was destined to be the player he is today.  He began playing football at just 3 years old, and soon after his talent became well known all around the state of Parana.  After receiving praise from many of his managers, he went to Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, to try out for local team Gremio, the club he supported as a boy.  His parents however, instead wanted him to sign for city rivals Internacional, one of Brazil’s most famous and recognised clubs.

However, the dream very nearly turned to tragedy, when in 2000 at the age of 10, X-rays from a broken bone revealed Alexandre had a tumor in his arm.  Doctors realised the tumor would turn cancerous in two months if it was not removed.  Alexandre’s family could not afford the surgery to remove the tumor.  Being a friend of the family, Dr. Paulo Roberto Mussi performed the operation for free.  The operation was not only life saving, but also came at a very important time for Alexandre, as he was training in an attempt to begin a professional career at Internacional. In 2001, he moved to Porto Alegre and shared a household with 83 other teenagers that were attempting to catch the eye of the club.  He had since adopted the nickname Alexandre Pato, or “Alex the Duck”, named after the city he was born in, Pato Branco which translates to “White Duck” in English.

Pato made the cut, and signed for Internacional in 2001, spending the better part of his early career there in the youth sector.  He made his first team debut at the age of 17, scoring a goal and assisting on three others in a 4-1 victory over Palmeiras on November 26, 2006.  The appearance thrust the boy into the spotlight, and created expectations and comparisons with Barcelona star Ronaldinho.  It was apparent at this point that he had an immense potential.  Just two weeks later, on December 13, he scored during the semi-final of the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup against Al-Ahly Cairo, breaking the legendary Pele’s record as the youngest scorer in the history of an official FIFA competition at 17 years 102 days.  In his time with the club, he finished with 3 goals in 5 professional games, as well as winning the 2006 Campeonato Brasiliero U-20, the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2007 Recopa Sudamericana.

Internationally speaking, Pato’s career really took off at the start of 2007.  Included in Brazil’s squad for the 2007 South American Youth Championship after his displays at Internacional, he was the squads leading scorer, netting 5 times in 9 games en route to helping Brazil lift their 9^th championship overall.  The win also qualified Brazil for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the former of which would see Pato make an appearance in Canada.  He finished with 3 goals in 5 games, and although his side bowed out at the Round of 16 knockout stage to Spain, Pato’s electrifying displays had clubs scouts from all around the world drooling over the prospect of seeing him in their respective employer’s uniforms.  He has already been included in Dunga’s Brazilian Olympic squad which will touchdown in Beijing, China later this summer.

His exploits at Internacional and in the U-20 Brazil national team had seen him highly linked to a host of the world’s top clubs including Chelsea, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Arsenal and Juventus.  He was voted the best U-20 player in the world by Match! magazine and World Soccer magazine in September 2007.

Despite their best efforts to hold onto the talent, Internacional were unable to keep the top clubs from tempting him away from them with a large transfer sum.  The club saw the financial reward of selling the player who, despite his impact and local fame, had only appeared in 5 league games.  They unsurprisingly shielded his talent until the buyout clause in his contract jumped from $4 million to $20 million.  This resulted in a massive bidding war, a power struggle between Chelsea FC, Inter Milan and AC Milan. They slugged it out for over a month to win his signature.  AC Milan eventually won out, and that owed as much to the Brazilian contingent of the squad as it did to Adriano Galliani.  It was Kaka, Ronaldo, Cafu and Dida who helped convince Pato to join them in the Italian Serie A.  The clubs rich history with Brazilian players, and a current squad loaded with them was enough to convince Pato that AC Milan was the destination for him.  An easier transition to the Italian lifestyle would be an effect of being surrounded by a handful of countrymen already established in the squad and speaking his native tongue.

Due to Italian regulations regarding non-EU minors, Pato was unable to play official matches for AC Milan until January 3, 2008, the date the transfer window re-opened.  Milan were able to include the player in training matches and friendlies beginning after his 18^th birthday. It wasn’t until January 4, 2008 that his transfer became official.

Here’s a better explanation of the mystery and anticipation for the player’s debut; a 22 million dollar signing, he was AC Milan’s only major off-season acquisition, and he was the only one the fans couldn’t watch on opening day.  For just a handful of professional league appearances and a few national appearances at youth level, the hefty price tag and reputation that followed the kid (along with the security) into the airport in Milan was incredible.  The press was gathered everywhere for a glimpse of the boy who had arrived from Brazil to make AC Milan “unstoppable”. Before he had even kicked a ball for the club everyone from Clarence Seedorf to Silvio Berlusconi were raving about him, the latter claiming that “if he continues to do as he has done in training he will score 30 goals by June!”

He has since done what he was predicted to do by the Milan hierarchy who so valiantly fought tooth and nail for his signature.  He has come in mid-season and injected life into an ageing and struggling AC Milan side.  His enthusiasm and electric pace have helped launch a domestic resurgence for the club since the winter break, and he has also impressed in his two Champions League starts despite Milan’s early exit at the hands of Arsenal.

His potential seems to be unlimited. And his future just might be.