Alexandre Pato

Date of Birth: - 02.09.1989

Height: - 5ft 10 inches

Position: -F orward

Nationality: - Brazilian

Current Club: - Ac Milan

Estimated Market Value: - £25 million

Linked with: - Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, PSG



Club Statistics

Internacional

2006/2007 season- 1 matches, 0 goals and 0 assists

AC Milan

2007/2008 season- 23 matches, 9 goals and 1 assist

2008/2009 season- 33 matches, 20 goals and 5 assists

2009/2010 season- 30 matches, 15 goals and 2 assists

2010/2011 season- 28 matches, 17 goals and 3 assists

2011/2012 season- 15 matches, 6 goals and 1 assist



General Comments:

Despite having his potential hindered by a succession of niggling injuries and a berth on the bench for his club AC Milan, Pato was and still is a very gifted player, with the potential to be amongst the best strikers in the game today. Blessed with searing pace, a nimbleness and technique rare in his position, and a good strikers instinct, Pato has all the necessary attributes to succeed in the game.

Like I mentioned above, Pato's defining attribute is his speed. Most people would reminisce to the Champions League goal vs Barcelona as a mark of this, but the truth of the matter is Pato has always been amongst the world's fastest players. Gifted with a great top speed underpinned by his world-class acceleration, he possesses the ability to glide past defenders like they aren't there. He really has pace to burn, and this gives him the edge when making runs, 1 on 1 with a defender, or racing clear alone against the keeper.

Another facet of his play is his technical ability. Pato has an excellent first touch, which sets him up nicely to dribble or perform another action such as dribbling, which he also excels at. Given he is from Brazil, where players are taught from a young age to love the ball, this is of no real surprise; and he has the ability to compete with the high standard of technical ability required in the Brazilian national team.



In addition, Pato is a very versatile player, who is able to able to link well with strikers and play in a variety of positions such as just behind the striker or on the wing, though his natural role is as a Forward. Also, Pato is a very cultured striker, with good shot power and accuracy, who tallies good goal averages when playing and makes great runs off the ball, linking well with other Forwards he's played with such as Robinho, Cassano and more.

However, Pato has a few downfalls, the most prominent player by far being his injury tolerance and form. Pato has an atrocious problem with injuries, he has a recurring muscle growth problem hampering him for a many seasons now, and which means he hardly plays and when he does, his time on the field is regularly punctuated with more lay-offs. Coincidentally, his consistency isn't great either, he is capable of stringing a good set of matches together, but all in all his performances generally go off with a bang, or a whimper. Also, his defensive work as a forward leaves much to be desired, often hanging forward during corners etc and generally reluctant to put the foot in etc.



Summary of Pato;



Strengths: Speed, Dribbling, Shooting, and Technique



Weaknesses: Decision making, Defensive work, and Strength



The Business End of the Profile;

Regarding his transfer situation, PSG have made many concerted approaches for Pato, who himself said that he is open to a move. A 50 euro bid was on the cards, but hasn't been confirmed by PSG, who have since bought former team-mate Ezequiel Lavezzi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Manchester City have also approached Pato, and both the aforementioned clubs certainly have financial panache. Arsenal and Liverpool have also been linked to the player.