By Ewah Chika.
By Ewah Chika.
Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva Pato is only 26-years-old, but when his name is mentioned it seems he is already in his mid 30's. This is due to the Brazilian's exploits in his hey days while still a youngster in AC Milan. One of Pato's golden moments is his dazzling and mesmerising run dummying the likes
of Eric Abidal and Javier Mascharano as he sprinted from the half line to score an early goal against mighty Barcelona in the 2010/2011 Champions League group stage game.
After his ill fated move to Chelsea last season, Pato is reported on his way to Villarreal for €3 million in a deal that Villarreal will own 60% while the player retains 40%. The Brazilian will replace departed Denis Suarez who left for Barcelona this summer. Along with Roberto Soldado (five goals, 10 assists last season), Cedric Bakambu (12 goals three assists last season ) Pato will form a formidable attack with the trio for the Yellow Submarines who will play this season's Champions League qualifiers after finishing fourth in the Spanish La Liga under coach Marcelino.
Villarreal is the right club for the player considering their history of rejuvenating failed players who joined the Spanish team to prove a point. The list is endless with the likes Juan Roman Riquelme (Joining from Barcelona), Guiseppe Rossi ( Manchester United), Diego Forlan (Manchester United), Roberto Soldado (Tottenham) and Robert Pires (Arsenal) blossoming and flourishing in the Spanish club.
It is strange to see Pato struggle after breaking through aged 16 with Internacional during the 2006/2007 season after scoring six goals in 10 league games also winning the FIFA World Club Cup with the Brazilian team, breaking Pele's long standing record as the youngest ever scorer in a FIFA organised competition at the age of 17 years against Al-Ahly who were African champions in the competition . This quickly earned him a move to AC Milan in 2007. It did not take long for him to be crowned Seria A Young Footballer of the Year in 2009 (first Brazilian to be given the award). The youngster's problem began towards the end of the 2010-2011 season as he injured his muscle in a Seria A game. The forward was never the same after incident as he struggled with injury and fitness before moving back to Corinthians in Brazil for €15 million in the winter of 2013. This did not blemish his impressive record in Milan after scoring 51 goals in 117 Seria A games for the Seria A club.
Like his time in Milan, Pato flopped in Corinthians as he soon moved to São Paulo a year later and then Chelsea in the winter where he played only two games scoring a goal in four months at the club last season. The main problem with the Brazilian is his apparent loss of pace and the confidence which key features of lethal strikers. In Villarreal and under Marcelino, Pato can rediscover his old form but before that can happen, there is need for him to change his style of play to suit his new club. The forward is not only blessed with pace but also with creativity and a perfect technical ability which he hasn't really improved on and this is solely an area he needs to work on to become a success in Villarreal. Under Marcelino, Pato would flourish considering the counter-attacking style of the club but this will entail him to play as a second striker or slightly behind the main striker (Bakambu or Soldado) in a 4-2-3-1 formation or in any forward role in a 4-3-3 formation as he will not only provide key passes and chances for the striker to finish but also torment opposition defenders with his pace and trickery. Finally, In Villarreal, the Brazilian will play with little or no pressure in as he makes the next leap In his career. For now it is still too early to predict if Pato's spell in Villarreal will be successful or not but one thing is sure: Villarreal is a club where failed stars find their old impressive form.
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