Orlando City is adding Brazilian firepower to its forward line with the acquisition of striker Alexandre Pato, a league source confirmed.
Pato is a free agent after his contract with Sao Paolo expired last season, allowing the Lions to acquire him without a transfer fee.
The striker spent many years of his career as a teammate of former Orlando City star Kaká. The pair played together with AC Milan, Sao Paolo and the Brazilian national team.
Pato was a breakout youth star for Brazil. He made his professional debut at the age of 16 for Sport Club Internacional in Brazil, netting 12 goals on the way to winning the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup with the team.
The performance earned the young striker a transfer to AC Milan in the top flight of Italian soccer, where he went on to score 63 goals over six seasons while winning the league and Supercoppa Italiana.
By the age of 22, Pato had won at the top levels for club and country, earning Olympic bronze and silver for Brazil. However, his trajectory was tempered by a series of injuries, including repeated thigh and hamstring concerns throughout his time in Italy.
After injuries stalled his performance with AC Milan, Pato returned to Brazil in 2013 to join Corinthians, where he netted 17 goals in two seasons. He then went out on loan twice to Sao Paolo in Brazil and Chelsea in England. Pato excelled with Sao Paolo, but he only saw the pitch twice for Chelsea before returning home unsigned.
Pato went to Spain for a year to play for Villareal in La Liga, scoring six goals for the club. He played two seasons in the Chinese Super League for Tianjin Quanjian, where he scored 36 times in 60 appearances. Pato returned to Sao Paulo in 2019, scoring nine goals in two seasons with the club.
The striker netted 10 goals across 27 appearances with the Brazilian national team, with his last call-up coming in 2013.
At 31, Pato will bring experience to the Lions’ striker unit. The group is mostly young, hungry players — Daryl Dike is 20 and Matheus Aiás is 24, while Tesho Akindele ranks highest in seniority at 28 years old.
His addition will bulk up the unit with Dike on short-term loan to Barnsley in the English Premier League. Although the Lions hold the right to recall Dike at any point in his loan, he could remain with Barnsley throughout the conclusion of the season in May.
Dike’s loan also includes an option to buy priced at $20 million, according to a league source. If the young striker’s rights are bought by Barnsley, Pato’s addition could buoy the Lions’ goal production in his absence.
Orlando City opened up a striker position when the club did not re-sign former designated player Dom Dwyer for the 2021 season. The Lions will not need to use that designated player slot to acquire Pato, according to a source.
The team’s other two designated players are midfielder Mauricio Pereyra and star winger Nani.
Before joining Orlando City, Pato crossed paths with several Lions. He played against Júnior Urso in the Chinese Super League and faced both Urso and Antonio Carlos in the Brazilian Serié A.
Pato will join the Lions ahead of the MLS season, which was postponed by two weeks to April 17 due to extended collective bargaining agreement negotiations.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Julia Poe at jpoe@orlandosentinel.com.
