Alexandre Pato set to leave Sao Paulo in January 2016
Alexandre Pato is set to leave Sao Paulo after the Brazil national team tweeted his quotes on the matter. The Brazilian international who played for arch rivals Corinthians, is out on loan to Sao Paulo until December of this year.
Alexandre Pato: "I will leave São Paulo in January." pic.twitter.com/6Tk1VpqTGd
— Seleção Brasileira (@BrazilStats) November 1, 2015
Pato made his International debut in March of 2008. He has since scored 13 goals in 31 appearances in all competitions. The young forward also won the South Amerian Youth Championship and the FIFA Confederations Cup with the national side.
“I don't know what will happen. I have to give it my all right now but I don't know what will happen in the end,” said Pato on ESPN and conveyed his desire to help Sao Paulo to reach the Copa Libertadores. He also said that the club’s president would have to let him go, owing to the club’s financial state.
“I am focused on this and later when I am on vacation I will consider things," he concluded.
Pato has won the Seria A, Supercoppa and a UEFA Super Cup with AC Milan, and the Campeonato Paulista and Recopa Sudamericana with Internacional. He has also had an impressive club career so far, with 98 goals from 249 appearances in the Domestic Leagues of AC Milan, Internacional, Corinthians and Sao Paulo respectively.
Pato has had an unfortunate spell in recent years
A player who has been accused for his perceived decline in performance, Pato has been the recipient of some harsh criticism. Having been compared to the likes of Kaka and Ronaldo, the Brazil international has gradually begun to fade as one of the principal talents in Brazil.
The fact that he broke Pele's record of being the youngest player to play for the senior international team has not helped his cause since. After suffering from injuries, Pato has struggled to find his pace; the kind of which he possessed during his breakthrough seasons at AC Milan.
His career with the Corinthians and subsequently with Sao Paulo have been less exalted if not completely beyond recall. He scored 12 goals from 10 games with the Corinthians and 22 goals from 19 appearances with Sao Paulo.
Pato, who was set to join PSG in 2012, has a market value of £11 million, which is also what the Corinthians will be looking for. It is unclear whether Pato will return to Corinthians or if he is looking to moving on to clubs outside Brazil. Earlier this year also, there was interest from a few different EPL clubs including Chelsea and Manchester United, and it looks like Pato will have a chance to regain his lost credibility, irrespective of his choice.