Diminutive Brazilian playmaker Pato was once tipped to become of his country’s all time greats.
It never quite worked out for him – at AC Milan he threatened to become one of the greats, but injuries caused him to fade away.
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Despite scoring 51 goals in 117 games for Milan, he returned to his native Brazil to play for Corinthians in the 2013 season. Nine goals in thirty games wasn’t a great amount, but he was loved by the adoring fans and it looked like he might be able to force himself back into the fold of the Brazilian national team.
Deep divisions soon emerged within the squad, however, and Pato was soon on his travels once again – this time on loan to Sao Paulo.
Corinthians coach Mano Menezes has now claimed Pato’s loan move to Sao Paulo was fuelled by a jealousy from the rest of the squad about his wages – with the forward allegedly earning much more than the rest of the side.
“Pato has suffered a bit from what is common in football. When someone comes out and is earning more than the others, it provokes a reaction”, said Menezes. “I felt that happened with him and the squad so we discussed the situation internally. We felt a new environment was better for him”.
Pato has scored nine times in twenty two appearances so far in 2014.