Pato had chosen Milan because of the Playstation
Pato looks back on his career and talks about why he had AC Milan.
As has been the case with a number of columns written by footballers on The Players’ Tribune, Pato has sought to correct certain beliefs others have about his career.
“So I think it’s time to set things straight, I’m 32 now, I’m happy, I’m fit and I’m not bitter towards anything or anyone,” he continued.
Not to miss
“The first thing you need to understand is that I left home very early, maybe too soon.
“The big day arrives and we leave for the trial at Internacional, the chance of our life, we get there and my father realizes he can’t afford a decent hotel, what does he do? enrolled in a sex hotel.”
Choosing AC Milan over Barcelona and Real Madrid
That try did work though, and when Pato finally left Brazil after winning the Club World Cup with Internacional, he had several European clubs to choose from, but he preferred AC Milan to the two LaLiga giants. Santander.
“After that I could have gone to Barcelona, Ajax, Real Madrid,” he said.
“Why Milan? Well, let me ask you a question in return. Have you ever played with this Milan team on the PlayStation?
“They were unreal! Kaka, Seedorf, Pirlo, Maldini, Nesta, Gattuso, Shevchenko, they won the Champions League, Milan was the team back then. I was like, when’s the next flight ?
“Carlo Ancelotti led me into the dining room ‘Here is Pato, our new striker’, everyone stood up to shake my hand. Everyone. Every one of them. Ronaldo, Kaka, Seedorf… WOW.”