Republic of Ireland v Brazil countdown: Paddy Agnewreports on another superstar in the making and says Irish fans are in for a rare treat.
As first nights go, it could hardly have been more impressive. Months and months of media hype suddenly seemed justified. Eighteen-year-old Brazilian Pato, the newest kid on the AC Milan block, had announced his arrival with a superb goal.
The game in question was AC Milan v Napoli, played at the San Siro three weeks ago. The match was in the 84th minute and with Milan 4-2 in front, it was all over bar the shouting. Not for Pato, however. Timing his run perfectly, he got on the end of a 60-yard clearance from full back Giuseppe Favalli. Taking the ball down with one delicate touch, he then outflanked both Napoli defender Maurizio Domizzi and goalkeeper Gennaro Iezzo for a goal that combined all the qualities you might expect of a Brazilian superstar - touch, pace, control and sheer style.
As the fans at football's La Scalastood for a standing ovation to him, it was hard not to be impressed by this start. After all, this had been a first night when such was the pressure that no one would have been too surprised if the latest Brazilian wunderkind had fallen flat on his face.
Ever since AC Milan paid 22 million to Brazilian club Internacional last summer for Pato, (real name Alexandre Rodrigues Da Silva) we have been hearing a lot about him. When bought by Milan, Pato was still a 17-year-old and therefore, under Fifa regulations, could not be registered with a European club. Such was Pato's obvious promise that Milan opted to buy him anyway, knowing that he would not be available to play for them until January of this year. In the meantime, the boy was brought to Europe to begin training with his future team-mates.
Soon the word was out. Milan have a new superstar. This lad can do everything. He is fast, plays off either foot and scores goals non-stop. Soon, too, the folks at Milanello started to speak of how things would be, later in the season, when Pato could finally play for them. Club coach Carlo Ancelotti likened him to former Brazilian ace, Careca; "old man" Paolo Maldini commented on the boy's "ability, speed and personality"; club owner, former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, promised that he would make the trip out to the San Siro for Pato's first game such was his curiosity to see for himself the player about whom his trusted Milan advisors had spoken so well.
When Pato returned from his Christmas holidays in Brazil, reporters were there at the airport to meet him and check up on his well being. Two days before his debut, experienced team-mate, battling midfielder Gennaro Gattuso told reporters: "Just now, no one knows Pato, he's just an 18-year-old, but we expect a lot of him because in the four months that he has been training with us at Milanello, he has showed us a lot. Myself and the other guys have had a lot of good things to say about him because we have seen him and know his worth."
For one so young who had yet to play in Serie A and who still wears teeth braces, this was an ominously heavy build-up. The list of great names who have flopped on their Serie A debuts is a mighty impressive one, including such as the Frenchmen Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane not to mention Pato's compatriots Falcao and Ronaldo. Surely the pressure will prove too much? On the night itself, Milan seemed to tempt fate by staging a celebration of an admittedly very successful 2007, showing off the most recent pieces of silverware destined for the Milanello sideboard, namely the Champions League trophy won last May and the World Club championship won in Japan last month.
Just as we were settling down for the all-too predictable flop, along came Pato with a stunning performance. He was undoubtedly helped by the fact that Napoli chose to make a match of it and came out to play. With his pace and his constant movement, Pato was soon proving himself a thorn in their side. True, he missed chances. True, he scored his goal at a moment when Milan seemed to have the match under control. Above all, Pato was helped on his debut by playing alongside two compatriots and national institutions called Kaka and Ronaldo.
Yet, nonetheless, this was a mighty good start. "I have never seen anyone make a start like that. He was under huge pressure, yet he played with total calm, I tell you this boy has personality . . ." said former Brazilian international Jose Altafini.
All of a sudden, "Pato-mania" broke out among the Milan fans. They invented a new term for the Milan attack - KA-PA-RO, Kaka, Pato and Ronaldo. It was not lost on the fans that Pato's debut had marked the club's first Serie A home win of the season. Strange but true. In a manner similar to last season, the European champions have had an indifferent autumn - doing enough in the Champions League, occasionally playing well away from home in Serie A but regularly disappointing at the San Siro. Will KA-PA-RO change all that? That remains to be seen. Since that stunning debut, Pato has played poorly in a Serie A defeat by Atalanta but redeemed himself by scoring both Milan goals in 2-0 home win against Genoa.
What is sure is that his start has attracted the interest of Brazilian coach Carlos Dunga. Starting as and of next Wednesday at Croke Park, Dunga wants to have a good look for himself at the new kid on the block. Irish fans may be in for a bit of a treat.
