Pato ducks in at the San Siro
Friday, August 3, 2007
Article summary
European champions AC Milan have signed precocious Brazilian goalscoring talent Pato from SC Internacional for a figure rumoured to be in the region of €14.6m.
Article body
European champions AC Milan have signed Brazilian striking sensation Pato from SC Internacional for a fee rumoured to be in the region of €14.6m.
Ineligible
The precocious 17-year-old joins for an undisclosed length of time though he will be ineligible until the new year due to rules forbidding Italian teams from registering non-EU players before they turn 18. Pato, whose name translates as 'duck', celebrates his birthday on 2 September by which time the transfer market and date for registering new players is closed.
Dream switch
The move is a dream come true for the youngster, who admits he always plays as Milan on his Sony PlayStation, and had expressed his desire to join his compatriots Kaká and Ronaldo at the San Siro. The Rossoneri will be pretty pleased too, after Pato caught the eye with a string of brilliant performances at this summer's FIFA U-20 World Cup, scoring three goals in four games as Brazil reached the last 16. It capped an impressive rise that began with his debut, aged 16, for Internacional last year and included a five-goal haul in Brazil's victorious 2007 South American Youth Championship campaign.