Internacional Pato started his career at Internacional's youth teams, gaining a lot of visibility on his skills, strength and technique. At 16, he was already playing in the Brazilian under-20 championship, where Inter defeated
Grêmio 4–0 in the final. Pato was that tournament's top scorer. Pato signed his first professional contract with
Internacional to compete in the Brazilian championship of 2006 with the first team. At the age of 17, in November that same year, his debut finally happened at the
Estádio Palestra Itália against
São Paulo team
Palmeiras for the
Campeonato Brasileiro. Alexandre Pato met and surpassed any and all expectations of what was expected of him as he scored his first professional goal within the first minute of the game. The rest of his participation was spent dribbling and confusing defenders as he made two assists (and almost scoring another himself) to help Internacional rout Palmeiras 4–1. He was substituted off in the 77th minute. Pato was included in the Internacional squad that won the
2006 FIFA Club World Cup. He scored against Egyptian club
Al Ahly in the semi-finals. At the age of 17 years and 102 days, this made Pato the youngest goalscorer at a senior men's FIFA tournament. He broke the record of
Pelé, who was 17 years and 239 days old when he scored against
Wales at the
1958 FIFA World Cup. Keeping up with his promising figure, Pato debuted at the
Campeonato Gaúcho on 24 February against
Veranópolis and scored a goal in the 2–1 victory. He also debuted in
Copa Libertadores on 28 February against
Emelec of Ecuador (also his first game at Beira-Rio) and scored once during the 3–0 thumping. But the biggest highlight of Pato's time with Internacional was during the
Recopa Sudamericana, as he helped Internacional win their first ever title of that competition. Against
Pachuca of Mexico, he scored one goal in the 2–1 defeat in Mexico. But, on the return game on 7 June, and with more than 51,000
Colorados present, Pato had a great performance as he scored once to lead the team to win their third international title.
AC Milan 2007–2010: Breakthrough seasons Incumbent
European champions
AC Milan of the Italian
Serie A officially confirmed the signing of Pato on 2 August 2007 for a fee of about €24 million. Due to FIFA football regulations regarding non-EU minors, Pato was unable to play official matches for Milan until 3 January 2008, when the Italian
transfer window and registration reopened. Milan, however, were allowed to include the player in friendlies and training beginning 3 September 2007, one day after his 18th birthday. Pato made his non-competitive debut in a 2–2 draw against
Dynamo Kyiv on 7 September 2007 and scored a header. On 4 January 2008, Pato's transfer to Milan became official. Pato scored his first Milan goal on his Serie A debut against
Napoli in a 5–2 home victory on 13 January 2008. He scored his first brace for Milan, in a 2–0 victory over
Genoa at the
San Siro on 27 January. He finished the
2007–08 season with 9 goals in 20 appearances (18 in the league). in 2010 In late 2008, Pato scored two goals in Milan's 5–1 win over
Udinese just before the Christmas break, and managed to shine again with a brace against
Roma the following matchday at the
Stadio Olimpico on 11 January 2009, proving that he is a vital part of Milan's attack. He continued his impressive form for Milan, hitting six goals in four games, including a game winning strike against
Fiorentina on 18 January. On 15 February, he scored his 11th goal of the season in a 2–1 defeat against home rivals
Internazionale. On 26 February, Pato scored his 12th goal of the season against
Werder Bremen in the
UEFA Cup, a game Milan drew 2–2; but with this, were knocked out the competition on the away goals rule. Pato continued his good form with two goals against
Siena on 15 March. Pato finished the
2008–09 season as Milan's top goalscorer with 18 goals. On 22 August 2009, in the first Serie A match of the
2009–10 season, Pato scored a goal in each half during the 2–1 win against Siena. Around two months later, on 21 October 2009, during matchday three of
the Champions league group stage, Pato scored two second-half goals in a 3–2 win against
Real Madrid at the
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. He has since played at the right wing in a 4–3–3 formation. On 18 January 2010, Pato was awarded the 2009
Serie A Young Footballer of the Year award at the
Oscar del Calcio ceremony, becoming the first Brazilian to be awarded with the title. On his return to the team from injury, Pato scored a goal in each of Milan's next three games against
Udinese,
Bari and Fiorentina. On 28 February, he scored a brace in the first half at the San Siro, helping Milan beat
Atalanta 3–1 but coming off halfway through the second half due to a hamstring injury. This injury forced him to miss two crucial trips to Roma and
Manchester United. In an unfortunate conclusion to Pato's season, he injured the same muscle again shortly after returning and was forced to miss the rest of the season, playing only 20 games due to constant injuries.
2011–2013: Injury problems In the first match of the season against
Lecce, he scored two goals in Milan's 4–0 win. However, he found himself on the treatment table after his second match of the season, which ruled him out for the next three matches. In his next full match after his injury, he scored twice against
Chievo at the San Siro, returning to his position as a striker in a 4–3–1–2 formation. He then scored once again against
Bari at the
Stadio San Nicola. After a string of great performances, Pato injured his hamstring for the third time in less than a year. This injury ruled him out for six weeks. On 9 January, he scored his first two goals of 2011 to help Milan draw 4–4 against
Udinese after going down 3–1. On 26 January, he scored two goals helping Milan to win 2–1 against
Sampdoria in
Coppa Italia. On 6 February he scored a goal against
Genoa helping Milan to draw 1–1. Another remarkable goal came on 20 February when he scored the winner in a 2–1 away victory over Chievo, by dribbling in between two defenders and finishing with a shot off the post. He scored the third goal after assisting
Kevin-Prince Boateng in a 3–0 victory over Napoli on 28 February. With fellow striker
Zlatan Ibrahimović suspended for the
Derby della Madonnina with Internazionale, Pato's two goals saw Milan secure their much needed three points. He dedicated his brace to his supporters. Assisted by Boateng, he scored the second goal in a 2–1 away win against Fiorentina on 10 April. On 13 September, in a
Champions League group-stage match against
Barcelona, Pato scored the fifth-fastest goal in the competition's history, 24 seconds after kick-off. Later that month, he suffered a thigh injury during a 1–1 draw with
Udinese. Pato made his return as a sub against Fiorentina and hit the post in the 79th minute in a 0–0 draw. He then scored and won a penalty in a 4–0 win against Chievo and in midweek, scored against
Viktoria Plzeň and setup
Robinho in a 2–2 draw. He started against
Bologna the next week in a 2–2 draw. In January 2012, Pato was on the brink of moving to French
Ligue 1 side
Paris Saint-Germain. This move would have given Milan the opportunity to make a bid for
Manchester City's
Carlos Tevez. On 12 January, however, Pato refused the transfer, citing his commitment to Milan. During the
Coppa Italia round of 16 victory over
Novara, Pato picked up a muscle strain in his thigh, which tests revealed an injury of his biceps femoris of his left thigh, resulting in him missing the remainder of the season. Before the start of the new season, Pato switched to the
squad number 9, as
Filippo Inzaghi had retired at the end of the 2011–12 season. In the third training session of the season, he injured his thigh and was kept out for the first six weeks of the new season. On 21 October 2012, Pato made his return to Milan, in which he assisted
Stephan El Shaarawy for the second goal in a 3–2 away defeat to
Lazio. On 6 November 2012, in a Champions League group stage match, Pato scored his first goal of the season with a header in a 1–1 draw against
Málaga. He scored for the last time for Milan in the Champions League against
Anderlecht on 21 November 2012. Due to his poor performances throughout the 2011–12 season, Pato was awarded the 2012
Bidone d'oro, a satirical prize, which is given to the worst Serie A player during a particular season.
Corinthians On 3 January 2013, Pato signed for
Corinthians for a fee of €15 million on a four-year deal. His debut for the club occurred against
Oeste, with Pato scoring on his first touch on the ball after a pass by
Paulinho, maintaining his reputation of scoring in his debut matches. On 27 February 2013, in the
Copa Libertadores, he scored against Colombian team
Millonarios with a volley from a cross. In May 2013, however, Pato was criticized by fans of Corinthians, after he missed two open goals against
Goiás. The forward was defended by his coach
Tite. According to the manager, "This pressure comes from his high transfer fee. But football is not only about money. If it was just about money, we would not have won
Libertadores last year." On 6 June, after Corinthians lost to
Cruzeiro 1–0, Pato was criticised again by Fiel, the largest Corinthians supporters' club. He missed four goal chances, and once again was defended by Tite. According to the coach: "He's improved in precision. I asked for this after the game against
Ponte Preta: 'Target for goal'. Considering he shot in the direction of the goal and the rival goalkeeper had a good game, the coach is going to award recognition. I always look at the other side. It is necessary to recognise that
Fábio had a very happy game, it was his merit. If Pato had missed, I would ask him to improve. But today was
Fábio's merit." On 7 July, after
Emerson Sheik's and
Danilo's injuries and ten games without a goal, Pato was in the 11-team of
Alvinegro and scored twice in Corinthians' victory against
Bahia. On 24 October, Pato missed a final penalty in a
penalty shootout against
Grêmio that saw his Corinthians team knocked out of the
Copa do Brasil. He attempted a
panenka chip down the middle but got no power behind the shot, and it was easily caught by Grêmio goalkeeper and former Milan teammate
Dida. On 2 December, It was reported that Pato was subject of a £6.6m bid from
Premier League club
Arsenal, however Corinthians rejected the offer as it was short of their £10m asking price.
Loan to São Paulo On 5 February 2014, Pato moved to
São Paulo in exchange for
Jádson moving to Corinthians. While Jádson moved to Corinthians permanently, Pato transferred to
Tricolor until December 2015, during which time half of his salary (
R$400,000) would continue to be paid by Corinthians. If Pato received a proposal in June or July, when the transfer window re-opened in Europe, he would be negotiated to cover Corinthians investment of €15 million. According to Pato's agent, Gilmar Veloz, he left Corinthians because
Mano Menezes, the new coach of club, contrary to Tite, his predecessor, did not want Pato at the club. Menezes preferred a midfielder, therefore Jádson, who was sitting on the bench at São Paulo, went the opposite way. In Veloz's words, "He [Pato] stayed with no place with new coach [Menezes], who wanted Jádson and did not want Pato. He had other plans, another tactical system in his mind. Pato was not important for Mano's scheme." On 10 April 2014, in his second game for São Paulo, Pato scored his first goal for his new club, against
CSA. He had made his debut in the second round of the
Brazilian Cup in the first leg match against Alagoano. In a 3–0 victory in the second leg, Pato scored the first goal of the game, after an assist coming from
Maicon.
Loan to Chelsea in 2016 Without any transfer offers, Pato returned to Corinthians after his loan ended. On 26 January 2016, Pato flew to London to undergo a medical at English
Premier League side
Chelsea. Three days later, Chelsea announced the signing of Pato on loan from the Brazilian club, until the end of the 2015–16 season. Upon signing, Pato said, "I am so happy to sign for Chelsea. It is a dream for me. I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know my new team-mates and cannot wait to play." On 2 April, he made his debut away to
Aston Villa as a 23rd-minute substitute for the injured
Loïc Rémy; in first-half added time, he won a penalty when fouled by
Aly Cissokho and converted it past
Brad Guzan for the second goal of a 4–0 win. He became the sixth Brazilian to score on his Premier League debut, with teammate
Willian among the others. After a season with only two appearances, Chelsea decided not to sign Pato and he returned to Corinthians.
Villarreal On 26 July 2016, Corinthians confirmed the transfer of Pato to
La Liga club
Villarreal, with 60% of his federative rights being bought for a fee of €3 million. He scored on his club debut, in a 2–1 home defeat to
Monaco in a
Champions League play-off match on 17 August. He made his
La Liga debut with the club in a 1–1 away draw against
Granada on 20 August. In the club's opening
UEFA Europa League group match of the season on 15 September, Pato scored and assisted a goal as Villarreal came from behind to defeat
Zürich 2–1 at home.
Tianjin Quanjian On 30 January 2017, Pato transferred to Chinese club
Tianjin Quanjian for a €18 million transfer fee to play under Italian coach
Fabio Cannavaro. On 4 March 2017, Pato made his debut for Quanjian in a 2–0 loss to
Guangzhou R&F, where he missed several chances for the newly promoted side. A week later he missed an 88th-minute penalty kick in a 1–1 draw with
Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, denying Quanjian its first ever
Chinese Super League win.
Return to São Paulo On 27 March 2019, Pato returned to
São Paulo. After his signing, the club announced him under the phrase: "Aqui o coração bate mais forte" (Here, the heart beats stronger), in an allusion to Pato's goal celebrations, when he beats the left side of his chest. He signed a deal until the end of 2022. On 19 August 2020, Pato reached an agreement with São Paulo for the termination of his contract, ending his second stint at the club with nine goals scored in 35 appearances.
Orlando City Having teased his arrival with a series of duck-themed social media posts the day before,
MLS side
Orlando City announced the arrival of Pato as a free agent signing on a one-year contract ahead of the
2021 season on 13 February 2021. He made his club debut on 17 April, starting in the team's season opener at home against
Atlanta United but was forced off injured in the 80th minute of the goalless draw. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in May as a result of the injury. After setbacks during his recovery, Pato made his second Orlando City appearance 187 days after his first, entering as an 86th-minute substitute on 20 October 2021 in a 1–1 draw with
CF Montréal. He finished the season with 116 minutes played in five appearances across all competitions. Ahead of the 2022 season, Pato re-signed with Orlando on a one-year contract. On 14 November 2022, as part of the team's end of season roster decisions, it was announced Orlando was not in discussions with Pato to renew his contract for the 2023 campaign.
Second return to São Paulo On 26 May 2023, Pato rejoined São Paulo on a deal running until December 2023, with the option for an extension until December 2024. However, he would let his contract expire in December 2023 and would leave the club. == International career ==