Alexandre Pato: The Brazilian wonderkid that lit up Italy, England & China

Very few players can light up a pitch and score amazing goals the way Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva, commonly called Alexandre Pato, did. The Brazilian attacking midfielder is one of many Selecao players to have brought a fresh and exciting brand of football to the European stage and many loved him for it. He followed in the footsteps of Ronaldinho and Kaka in so many ways, playing the game with joy and pride. This is the journey of Pato in football so far. 

Clubs and records of Alexandre Pato

Alexandre Pato started his club career with Internacional of Brazil in the 2006/07 season and he had early success there as he helped the team to win the 2006 FIFA World Club Cup. Overall, Pato played 27 games for Internacional during a 2-year stay and scored 12 goals. He moved to AC Milan in 2007 and this was where his star shone a million times. In 6 seasons at the San Siro, Alexandre Pato played 150 games and scored 63 goals. He was held at legendary status at AC Milan, winning numerous titles for the club.

Pato secured a return to Brazil with Corinthians in 2013 and he showed he could still shine in the Brasileiro. In just 1 season, Pato played 57 times, scoring 17 goals. This form convinced Chelsea to sign the striker for a mid-season loan deal in January 2016. Afterwards, Pato has played for Villarreal, Sao Paulo (twice), Tianjin Quanjian (Chinese Super League) and currently playing for Orlando City in the MLS. Overall, Pato has scored 182 careers goals in 459 club games. 

Trophies and awards of Alexandre Pato

Alexandre Pato won one of the biggest trophies in football in just his first senior season, the FIFA Club World Cup in 2006 with Internacional. Afterwards, he won the Recopa Sudamericana with Internacional in 2007. Pato won the Serie A (2010/11) with AC Milan as well as the Supercoppa Italiana in the same season. The attacking midfielder won the Recopa Sudamericana again with Corinthians in 2013 after helping the Brazilian side life the Campeonato Paulista earlier that season.

Individually, Pato was adjudged the Most Valuable Player of the Brazilian U-20 Championships in 2006 after finishing with the Top-scorer award too. At AC Milan, Pato won the Golden Boy Award in 2009 as well as the 2009 Serie A Young Footballer of the Year award. He was inducted into the AC Milan Hall of Fame alongside Brazilians Ronaldinho and Kaka.