Former Milan forward Alexandre Pato says he will always be grateful to Milan but wishes he had the mentality he has now when he first joined the Rossoneri. The Brazilian is currently without a club after ending his contract with MLS side Orlando City, and has been linked with a return to Serie A. Speaking with Tuttomercatoweb, the 33-year-old talked about his time with the Rossoneri, his thoughts on Zlatan Ibrahimovics’ longevity and expectations for Milan’s match against Fiorentina this weekend:
How are you first of all?
“I’m fine. Unfortunately in football injuries happen and it happened to me recently, to my knee, after a game. I’m two months away from returning to the field but I’m in no hurry. I’m fine, I’m a free agent. We’ll see what happens in these two months.”
You are currently in Brazil. Do you think your next team will be in your homeland?
“Right now I just want to heal well, I’m not in a hurry to come back. We’ll see what happens, I’m not closing the door on any club. I’m happy that Sao Paulo opened the door for me to do some treatment here but we never talked about a future decision to return to play with them. But we will see, they know I am free.”
You have been missing from Italy since 2013. What is Italy and AC Milan to you?
“If Ibrahimovic is past 40 and doing well there is a reason. I love Milan who have given me so much. I really like Serie A and I miss Italy. I told my wife that I would come back and she is willing to do anything for me. I remain a fan of your country which has beautiful people who are passionate about football. As I said, I don’t know what the future holds for me but the doors to my return are certainly open.”
Have you ever returned to Italy?
“When I was in China I popped in to see my friends, then Galliani and Berlusconi. But after that I couldn’t because of other experiences in Brazil and the United States. But now I want to come back, whether it’s for holidays or, who knows, for work.”
Have you followed Milan over the last ten years?
“I’ve always followed them, I keep in touch with many friends who work there. I see that it has changed a lot and they are following a precise vision, on the field and off, and that it can only grow.”
These 10 years have been very difficult for Milan
“In these many years of football I have understood that there are ups and downs for every club in the world. They are processes, changes that come. Thank God I have played with legends, with the history of football, but I have also taken on the new era. It’s true, AC Milan has had dark moments but they have come back to win the Scudetto and the objectives are clear, to return to the Champions League and I hope they can continue on this path.”
You arrived at AC Milan at the age of 17. Many saw you then as the future of the Rossoneri. Did you think so too?
“A piece of advice I give to all players: you must not only understand what happens on the pitch, but also around you. Unfortunately at that time I was a guy who was only focused on the field, unaware of what was happening outside. I learnt that from my own experiences. I would have liked at the time to have had the mentality I have today, to understand how it worked off the field. But I have no regrets, because football has taught me so much. I love Milan, it has given me so much and I am grateful to Milan for what it has taught me and because it has given me great worldwide exposure. Of course, if I could go back I would behave differently.”
At the time it seemed like a done deal for your move to Paris Saint-Germain. Was that the fork in your career?
“You can’t know. It could have been beautiful but it could have gone wrong. But I was an AC Milan player, I had to ask the president if I could go or not. And he gave me the chance to stay, he gave me great challenges and I made myself available to my club. I was happy with the decision I made. Then came the injuries and I went back to Brazil. As I said, if I had known, not so much on the Milan side but on my own side, I might have behaved differently.”
It was said that the cause of your injuries was Milan Lab and that your relationship with Barbara Berlusconi conditioned you….
“No, none of that. On the contrary, everyone at Milan was by my side, but unfortunately things turned out that way. But in the end everything I went through led me to grow and be the person I am today.”
Wednesday’s big Champions League night with Tottenham-Milan. Will you be watching it?
“Of course and I’m very happy that the Rossoneri won the first leg. I think playing against an English team is very difficult. I’ve played against Milan in Champions League games, losing against them and also losing to Arsenal.”
They will restart from the 1-0 at San Siro
“They have to be careful because Tottenham are very strong and will have on their side, the fact that they play at home. There will be a different atmosphere. But I think Milan have one foot in the next stage.”
Optimistic?
“Yes, I think Milan are favourites at the moment, strong from the first leg win. They have one foot in the next round, not two though. Tottenham will respond but if Milan do what they know how to do they will qualify from the round.”
Who can be the protagonist?
“I see from watching Milan that Leao is a great player. In the first leg he did very well, he was voted player of the match. With his speed and quality I’m sure he can make the difference”.
First there is an important league game for the Champions League race, in Florence
“Every game I played in Florence I scored goals. I loved playing at the Franchi, a beautiful pitch and the city is also very beautiful. I was comfortable, I always faced good teams but unfortunately for them I always scored (laughs, ed.).”
Your first coach in Italy was Carlo Ancelotti, a candidate for the Brazil bench…?
“I like Ancelotti a lot, I would like to meet him as I haven’t seen him for a long time. I love him, he treated me like a son. And I think he can give a lot to the Seleçao, he can make it grow, but I see that there are also great coaches in Brazil who are candidates.”
Are you surprised to see Ibrahimovic on the pitch again? You had him as a teammate and won the Scudetto in 2011…
“Unfortunately when players suffer an injury it becomes tough. Nobody wants to be away from the field and when you come back you live it as a ‘revenge’. He’s been through a lot lately but he’s always reacted. That’s the beauty of football. Ibrahimovic doesn’t surprise me, he’s always been like that. And I think if you ask me if he will quit I tell you it will be very difficult, because he has so much desire. I like people like that, who have the strength to overcome difficult moments.”
