Pato leaving Milan for Corinthians
Friday, January 4, 2013
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Brazil striker Pato is leaving AC Milan for SC Corinthians Paulista "in order to play on a regular basis", with injuries having hampered his five-and-a-half-year spell at San Siro.
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AC Milan have announced that they have reached an agreement with FIFA Club World Cup winners SC Corinthians Paulista which will take striker Pato back to his home country.
"I want to say goodbye and thank everybody, from the club president to all the people I have worked with during these unforgettable years in Milan," said the Brazilian international, who joined Milan from SC Internacional in 2007 when he was only 17. "I move am moving to Brazil, to Corinthians, in order to play on a regular basis. However, I will always have a special relationship with the Milan shirt and with the Rossoneri fans."
The 23-year-old scored 51 goals in 117 Serie A games for Milan despite suffering a long list of muscular problems during his Rossoneri career. He helped Milan to win the Scudetto in 2011, scoring 14 goals in 25 games. This season, injuries limited him to only four league appearances, although he scored twice in three UEFA Champions League games. The Rossoneri take on FC Barcelona in the round of 16.