Remember The Name

[mrtoad]

Well, haad read about this guy a few times sometime back, in fact there was an excellent article in Four Four Two some months back. He's been at AC Milan for the past 7 months, but couldn't play due to restrictions on players under 18, but finally he's been unleisehed on Serie A, with immediate success. He's already pretty much done it all at Junior level, Under 20 and had a massive impact playing for Internacionale in the Copa De America and in the league, all pretty much between the age of 16 an 17. He's now teamed up with Kaka, after a 22 million Euro transfer in the summer and now it wil be interesting how he shapes up in Italy, and more importantly for us English football fans, what type of impact he will have on AC Milans Champions league campaign.

Anyway, here's an article regarding Pato's debut at the weekend:

Pato has a debut to remember as Milan end their San Siro duck

Milan's teenage sensation lived up to all the pre-game hype as the Rossoneri won their first home league game since April

Richard AikmanJanuary 14, 2008 2:42 PM

Internazionale picked up where they left off following the winter break as they recorded their seventh consecutive league win - a 3-2 victory at Siena - to remain seven points clear on top of Serie A. However, rather than laud the performance of the reigning champions, who are marching inexorably towards their 16th Scudetto, the Italian media rightly preferred to hail Milan's swashbuckling 5-2 win against Napoli.

And with good reason. For the victory, Milan's first home win since April, not only featured Ronaldo - who finally returned to form with two goals - and a Kaká wonder strike ... but, perhaps most significantly of all, the stunning debut of the 'Duck' - one Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva or Pato.

Pato signed as a 17-year-old from Internacional in the summer, but has been unable to feature in the Milan first team due to Italian football regulations regarding non-EU minors. However, after turning 18 in September and registering his contract on January 3, he was thrown into the starting line-up alongside his childhood hero Ronaldo and the world player of the year Kaká.

With Filippo Inzaghi injured and the misfiring Alberto Gilardino out of favour, Silvio Berlusconi cranked up the expectations beforehand by comparing Pato to Marco van Basten - the legendary striker whom he brought to Milan and who, along with Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard, spearheaded the most celebrated era in the club's history. The Rossoneri president even went so far as to disclose the opinion of Carlo Ancelotti, who had privately confided to him that if Pato kept playing the way he had been in training, "he will score 30 goals between January and June".

Despite the burden of expectation, Pato somehow did not disappoint. In an exciting game which saw goals by Ronaldo and Clarence Seedorf cancelled out by Roberto Sosa and Maurizio Domizzi, the hosts ran away with the match in a thrilling second half, sealing a 5-2 win with Ronaldo, again, and Kaká putting the match beyond doubt.

Pato, who troubled the Napoli defence throughout with a truly impressive display, then provided the coup de grâce, crowning a memorable debut with a wonderful strike on 74 minutes after which he shed tears of joy.

"Patomic," enthused the Gazzetta dello Sport's website, while the Repubblica gushed "What class!" Ancelotti said afterwards that he would continue to deploy the South American trio in a formation which means he will presumably have to sacrifice one of Gennaro Gattuso, who was suspended last night, Seedorf or Massimo Ambrosini. "The offensive potential of playing two strikers up front is considerable and we will try it again because they were excellent," said Ancelotti. "Pato has shown his quality in training, he needs to improve in certain areas but he is really very good."

Today's Gazzetta celebrated the birth of a triumphant Brazilian triumvirate, referred to by Berlusconi as "il trio delle meraviglie' - "the astonishing trio" - with the headline 'Ka-Pa-Roo', conjuring a catchy acronym in the same vein as the famous 'Gre-No-Li' attack of the 1950s, which comprised Swedes Nils Liedholm, Gunnar Nordahl and Gunnar Gren. It also evokes memories of the aforementioned all-conquering Dutchmen of the late 80s and early 90s.

"This 'Milan alla Brasiliana' scored more goals at home in one night than they have managed so far all season," wrote Luigi Garlando. "Pato, on what was a great debut, made an immediate impression, with his speed of thought and execution. He has already conquered the San Siro with his class, his personality and also with his teenage tears of joy."

With 21 points from 15 matches, Milan are still closer to the relegation zone (seven points) than they are the Champions League places (11 points) but if they win their games in hand they will be within two points of fourth.

As Inter bulldoze their way towards their third straight championship, the Rossoneri know that they are already out of the title race. But Milan have a habit of stealing Inter's thunder, as they did last season by eclipsing their city rivals' Scudetto success by becoming European champions for the seventh time. And with a fit-again Ronaldo having seemingly ended his six-month injury torment and Pato's emergence putting paid to speculation linking Ronaldinho with a move to Milan, who is to say they won't triumph in Europe again?

Earlier in the day Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice as Inter won at the Arena Montepaschi in Siena. Ivan Cordoba's own goal cancelled out the Sweden international's first-half penalty, before Esteban Cambiasso and a spectacular second by Ibrahimovic put the match out of sight.

Roma remain in second place after coming from behind to clinch a hard-fought 2-1 win at Atalanta. Ferreira Pinto had the visitors rocking on their heels when he scored a 17th-minute opener but Francesco Totti and Amantino Mancini both scored late in the first half and the Giallorossi survived a succession of late scares to hold on.

Juventus are three points further adrift in third place after requiring a late - and dubious - Alessandro Del Piero penalty to salvage a 1-1 draw at Catania, while Udinese and Fiorentina remain in fourth and fifth place after narrow wins at Cagliari and Parma respectively. Elsewhere, the pressure is mounting on the Lazio coach Delio Rossi following their eighth defeat of the season, at home to Genoa, while Antonio Cassano stole the show as he inspired Sampdoria to a 3-0 win over Palermo.