"When I arrived, I told myself not to cry, but I’m emotional. I arrived here at 17, then I went back to Brazil." Alexandre Pato, former Milan striker, was interviewed by the club's official channels on his return to Milanello. Here are the words of the Brazilian, filled with memories and behind-the-scenes stories: "But the years I spent here were among the best of my life. Spending time at Milanello is amazing. First day? I remember a lot of things. The medical tests, I arrived at Milanello and couldn’t see anything because they put drops in my eyes. Ancelotti made everyone stand up to greet me. I’ll carry that with me for life. I can’t wait to bring my son here too. How much running I did here," as relayed via PianetaMilan.it.
"Time is the most important thing in life. Coming here makes me remember the best things I did in football. I know how difficult it was for my parents. I started in Brazil, then everything was fast. I came straight to Milan, I wanted to play here. Braida took care of everything, Milan made me win and helped me become who I am. I had a tumor in my arm, it was important, but it’s in the past, today I’m fine. The sacrifice was being away from my parents to learn, but today I enjoy my life, with my son and wife."
"I’ve always scored on debuts, but I didn’t care much about it, I liked playing. Now I think about it more. I chose Milan because I watched them win the Champions League: there was Maldini, Ronaldo, Kaká, Sheva, Gattuso, Nesta, it was a beautiful team. I just wanted to play with them, and when they came to find me, I immediately said I wanted Milan, the best decision of my life. For me, every day was an emotion, the only thing is that I couldn’t play in Japan, where we won the Club World Cup. I was training at Milanello with the Primavera and preparing for the match against Napoli."
Kaladze, Gattuso, and the tough training
"Kaladze helped me a lot, because he made me experience in training what I had to try in the game. When he ‘hit’ me in training, it made me understand, he helped me become tougher and stronger. He taught me how to handle the games in Italy. Kaladze didn’t change much between training and the game. I took a lot of hits, but the one who hit the hardest was Gattuso, he was terrifying. I wanted to play a prank on him while we were eating, and he grabbed me by the neck."
"The many Brazilians? It was nice, but for Italian (language) it wasn’t the best. I only spoke Portuguese and wanted to learn. The Brazilians taught me a lot. Cafu acted like my dad, Emerson took me around. Ronaldo took me home, they all helped me, they are always in my heart."
"Debut against Napoli? It was special, I played with Ronaldo, I remembered his shot, I wanted to take his goal away, but the ball went in. Favalli made a long pass, I ran behind the defender and passed in front of him. Looking at the goalkeeper, I immediately thought not to chip, and when he jumped, I heard the shout from San Siro. It’s unforgettable. I played like I did as a child, but I wasn’t great tactically. I liked dribbling, scoring. Ancelotti told me not to do as I pleased and to pass the ball, but I loved being there, in training and not just there. The prank on Cassano while he was doing an interview, I touched his hair and he yelled at me jokingly. When I look at him, it makes me laugh so much."
Regarding historic goals in the derby and against Barcelona...
"The youngest to score 50 goals for Milan? Today I see it differently than before. When I go abroad, people remind me of my goals, but I didn’t think about the numbers. I know I could have done more, but I could have done less too. I’m happy with all my goals at Milan, playing here was different, it was beautiful, it’s a love I can’t explain. The goal in the derby? The whole stadium came down, I look at the pictures while shouting. Scoring a goal against Inter after less than 40 seconds, winning the Scudetto, I’ll tell that for the rest of my life. Scoring against Inter is amazing. The most beautiful image of the Scudetto was when we returned to Milan, in Piazza Duomo, there were so many people. It was beautiful, I’ll never forget it. Unfortunately, I didn’t win the Champions League. Goal against Barcelona? Wherever I go, people always remind me of that goal. For me, it’s one of the best goals I’ve scored with Milan. I saw a gap and thought, well, I’ll go for it, and then I found myself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. I arrived, shot, not as I wanted, but it went under the goalkeeper’s legs. It was even more beautiful."
On the injuries, he commented:
"Injuries? We didn’t do what they do today. I was young, I wanted to play, but I didn’t respect the time needed to recover. I don’t regret it, that’s how it went. What I can tell the young players today is to trust the people who are there to heal you. It was still a beautiful experience, even in the bad moments we won the Scudetto. I also grew as a person."
On the fans, Pato said:
"I really like coming back here because Italians are different. When the player plays, they love you for what you are, not just for what you do. The love I have for Milan fans can’t be explained. Even today they ask me to come back. I really love all the Milan fans because they make me live life differently. They are really in my heart. I’m sure Milan will rise again and be at the top."
