Alexandre Pato

Profile Overview

Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [aleˈʃɐ̃dɾi ʁoˈdɾiɡiz dɐ ˈsiwvɐ]; born 2 September 1989), commonly known as Alexandre Pato (pronounced [ˈpatu]) or simply Pato, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker and could also operate as a second striker or winger.
Pato began his career as a youth player for Internacional in 2000, making his debut in 2006 at age 16. He went on to score 12 goals in 27 appearances and helped them win the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup. In August 2007, he signed for Italian side AC Milan. In 2009, he scored 18 goals in 42 matches in all competitions, which earned him both the Golden Boy and Serie A Young Footballer of the Year awards. During the 2010–11 season, he helped Milan win the Serie A, where he was the club's joint top scorer with 14 goals in 25 games. In January 2013, Pato returned to Brazil, signing for €15 million with Corinthians, where he won the Campeonato Paulista. In 2014, Pato joined São Paulo on a two-year loan deal, where he played 95 games, scoring 38 goals for the club. In January 2016, Pato transferred to English Premier League club Chelsea on a loan deal before going to Spanish side Villarreal that same year. In 2017, he signed for Chinese club Tianjin Tianhai, and in 2019 went back to São Paulo.
A full international for Brazil since 2008, Pato was part of their squads which won the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and competed at the 2011 Copa América. He also won two consecutive Olympic medals for the country, a bronze in 2008, and silver four years later.