Alexandre Pato: the next kaka?

[hwmook]

The long drawn race to sign Alexandre Pato has come to an end with AC Milan finally signing the young Brazilian starlet.

Almost two months after Inter, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Milan all jumped into the race to sign Alexandre Pato, the saga has come to an end.

AC Milan have now confirmed that they have signed the forward from Internacional di Porto Alegre.

The Milan giants paid his buy-out clause of 14.5 million euros, and have handed the player a five year contract worth 2 million euros per season.

However, there is a twist to the tale in that 18-year-old cannot feature in official games for the Rossoneri until January.

Revealed the club: "The great talent Alexandre Pato will train with Milan and will be able to play the friendly matches starting from the 3rd of September 2007.

"From the 3rd of January 2008 onwards, he will also be able to play in the official games."

What is certain, though, is that the player is a Rossoneri.
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Milan has finally signed the "duck", an amazingly hyped player in brazil, haven't seen any player so hyped before. Can he become another kaka? I am quite impressed by his ball skills though.

[vasilli07]

No...1 striker, 1 attacking midfielder...

[Deunamist]

Rossoneiri Siamo Noi!!!!!!

[the_ron]

Milan has finally signed the "duck", an amazingly hyped player in brazil, haven't seen any player so hyped before.Ronaldo (Brazilian) maybe?

when Ronaldo was Pato's age, he was already a star, Pato didn't really impress at the under-20 World Cup

[hwmook]

Ronaldo (Brazilian) maybe?

when Ronaldo was Pato's age, he was already a star, Pato didn't really impress at the under-20 World Cup

Ronaldo only move to PSV at the same age as Pato. I didn't remember ronaldo being a star before he move to PSV. Pato didn't play that well in the U20 WC but let us not forget he is just 17, a young player tend to lack consistency. After looking at what he can do with a ball, maybe you will change your mind.

[hwmook]

No...1 striker, 1 attacking midfielder...

kaka actually played more as a support striker while in brazil so they are not that different.

[Ronaldo_7]

hw to play him and Kaka together since they similiar?

[ahgohgoh]

pato is out and out striker if im not wrong

[xOxMxGx]

acty they tab him as next ronaldo. becos he is a fan of ronaldo, same position.

[ghimpheng]

The Next Big Thing

heard that his dream move is to move to Chelsea

but Chelsea now full of superstar

Maybe milan can help train pato then next time when he is off contract then come join chelsea =X XD

[martinweng]

hw to play him and Kaka together since they similiar?

i'd field 11 kaka anyday. :s12:

[Deunamist]

but Chelsea now full of superstar

what an overstatement. i'd be more willing to agree if you said 'stars'

[hwmook]

The Next Big Thing

heard that his dream move is to move to Chelsea

but Chelsea now full of superstar

Maybe milan can help train pato then next time when he is off contract then come join chelsea =X XD

don't make me laugh, his idols are ronaldo and ronaldinho, don't see how chelsea can play the type of football he play. Chelsea can only bore the fans to sleep, go and hug your $heva and tell him what a great player he WAS, he cease to be great from the day he left Milan. It serve as a warning to all good players never to join chelsea because its a grave for great players. :s8:

[hwmook]

hw to play him and Kaka together since they similiar?

Pato and kaka behind gila or ronaldo. or kaka behind the front 2. Pato role will be similar to what sheva used to play and what kaka play as in UCL last season.

[the_ron]

Ronaldo only move to PSV at the same age as Pato. I didn't remember ronaldo being a star before he move to PSV. Pato didn't play that well in the U20 WC but let us not forget he is just 17, a young player tend to lack consistency. After looking at what he can do with a ball, maybe you will change your mind.Ronaldo was already tipped as one of the best youngsters in Brazil even before he moved to PSV
he was a star at Cruzeiro already, 12 goals in 13 games?

change my mind over what? i've watched all his games at the under20 WC and some games for Internacional
i'm not saying Pato is a bad player, i'm just saying you're wrong if you say he's the most hyped up kid from Brazil

by the way, Ronaldo was already performing consistently for the Brazilian youth sides at that age

Ronaldo, Robinho, Ronaldinho, Denilson etc generated more hype

pato is out and out striker if im not wrongyea he's always playing up front with another striker playing off him

Pato and kaka behind gila or ronaldo. or kaka behind the front 2. Pato role will be similar to what sheva used to play and what kaka play as in UCL last season.don't think Milan ever played with 2 strikers, when they had Sheva he was always the lone striker in their x-mas tree formation

Gilardino might not be starting any games soon, given his poor form last season, if Ronaldo keeps fit. if you've seen Ronaldo lately he's lost alot of weight and looking lean now, wouldn't be surprised if he's top scorer in Serie A next season

[Deunamist]

yeah lor, when sheva left i thought chelsea was gonna capitalise on his form, but too bad. :D


don't think Milan ever played with 2 strikers, when they had Sheva he was always the lone striker in their x-mas tree formationKaka was more often than not playing second striker for Milan last season, especially in UCL when Ronaldo was cup-tied and couldn't play.

Milan's formation in UCL SF 2L vs Man Utd.
Dida
Oddo Nesta Kaladze Jankulovski Gattuso Pirlo Ambrosini
Seedorf
Kaka
Inzaghi
Last night's friendly Russian Railways Cup VS PSV Eindhoven
Dida
Oddo Nesta Kaladze Jankulovski Gattuso Pirlo Ambrosini
Seedorf
Kaka
Aubemayang

[hwmook]

Ronaldo, Robinho, Ronaldinho, Denilson etc generated more hype

i don't see any big clubs going for these players when they were young bar robinho and he is not that young when he move to real madrid. Inter, Chelsea, Real madrid, AC Milan all wanted to sign Pato, if this is not hype then i don't know what is. Ronaldo, ronaldinho, denilson didn't played for any european giants when they first move to europe. The fact that 4 european giants are looking to sign the same 17 year old who only got 1 year experience in pro soccer is already something ronaldo, ronaldinho, denilson cannot boast of.

don't think Milan ever played with 2 strikers, when they had Sheva he was always the lone striker in their x-mas tree formation

Gilardino might not be starting any games soon, given his poor form last season, if Ronaldo keeps fit. if you've seen Ronaldo lately he's lost alot of weight and looking lean now, wouldn't be surprised if he's top scorer in Serie A next season

what are you talking about? Milan always play with 2 strikers unless any injury, suspension prevent them from doing so. Sheva always panther inzaghi when he is fit. Sheva with crespo is another combi in the past. Milan play with ronaldo and gila in the Serie A last season, only injury, suspension, poor form of RO force milan to play with only 1 strikers and 2 AMC in support or kaka in a support striker role. I don't know which milan you have been watching when you say Milan don't play with 2 strikers. Milan president Berlusconi even make it compulsory to play with 2 strikers.......

And Gila's form is not bad, just that too much is expected from him. He was injuried for long period last season and still managed to be in the top 10 scorer in serie A, i don't see any problem with that. That is decent for any striker, too much expectation is on his shoulders.

[Deunamist]

i think he might be referring to Gila's poor form in UCL.

[the_ron]

i don't see any big clubs going for these players when they were young bar robinho and he is not that young when he move to real madrid. Inter, Chelsea, Real madrid, AC Milan all wanted to sign Pato, if this is not hype then i don't know what is. Ronaldo, ronaldinho, denilson didn't played for any european giants when they first move to europe. The fact that 4 european giants are looking to sign the same 17 year old who only got 1 year experience in pro soccer is already something ronaldo, ronaldinho, denilson cannot boast of.imo, the players i mentioned paved the way for clubs to go in for Brazilians at an even younger age so they don't end up paying astronomical fees for them when they come of age

why wait 2 years for another Robinho and end up paying 20 million more than what you could have gotten him for a cheaper price earlier?

before those players, how many of the big named Brazilians kids left for Europe in their teens?
it's not because they lacked quality or big European clubs weren't aware of them, it's just that then they thought it would be more beneficial to gain more first team experience before moving on.
now clubs are moving in earlier because they don't want to miss out on the player

Ronaldo made the final WC squad at the age of 17, Pato didn't even force his way into the copa america 'B'ish team
and Ronaldinho turned down bigger clubs to join PSG actually, Arsenal and Barca if i'm not wrong

if you said Pato is the new Ronaldo, don't think many people would disagree with you there, since he's more similar to him than Kaka who has a totally different playing style

what are you talking about? Milan always play with 2 strikers unless any injury, suspension prevent them from doing so. Sheva always panther inzaghi when he is fit. Sheva with crespo is another combi in the past. Milan play with ronaldo and gila in the Serie A last season, only injury, suspension, poor form of RO force milan to play with only 1 strikers and 2 AMC in support or kaka in a support striker role. I don't know which milan you have been watching when you say Milan don't play with 2 strikers. Milan president Berlusconi even make it compulsory to play with 2 strikers.......

And Gila's form is not bad, just that too much is expected from him. He was injuried for long period last season and still managed to be in the top 10 scorer in serie A, i don't see any problem with that. That is decent for any striker, too much expectation is on his shoulders.i knew i was forgetting someone when i said "when they had Sheva he was always the lone striker in their x-mas tree formation", Crespo

i'm thinking of the current Milan formation with Ricardo still out on loan.

as for Gilardino's form, besides his rather annonymous form in the CL, the sentiment i was getting from Milan fans i was chatting to was that 12 goals as the main striker in a top team wasn't good enough and he wasn't clinical

after all he was prolific in a poor team, they'd expect more now that he's in a side that's better (on paper).
unless you think 12 goals is not bad form when lesser strikers were outscoring him

[yourmother]

Woohoo this kid is gonna win everything for Milan next season. WPOY for 2008 definitely.

[ghimpheng]

I am dreaming when i said that

but it is not entirely impossible that Pato will join chelsea after AC Milan

as he has an ambition to play for chelsea

[hwmook]

imo, the players i mentioned paved the way for clubs to go in for Brazilians at an even younger age so they don't end up paying astronomical fees for them when they come of age

why wait 2 years for another Robinho and end up paying 20 million more than what you could have gotten him for a cheaper price earlier?

before those players, how many of the big named Brazilians kids left for Europe in their teens?
it's not because they lacked quality or big European clubs weren't aware of them, it's just that then they thought it would be more beneficial to gain more first team experience before moving on.
now clubs are moving in earlier because they don't want to miss out on the player

Ronaldo made the final WC squad at the age of 17, Pato didn't even force his way into the copa america 'B'ish team
and Ronaldinho turned down bigger clubs to join PSG actually, Arsenal and Barca if i'm not wrong

if you said Pato is the new Ronaldo, don't think many people would disagree with you there, since he's more similar to him than Kaka who has a totally different playing style


The thing is when i watch him play, his touches and his runs just remind me of kaka and i know of others who mentioned the same, maybe Pato is more fanciful than kaka. i don't really know of anyone who say his style of playing is similar to ronaldo. I am not trying to say he is damn good because he ain't, not when he only played a few months in pro soccer. I am just saying the hype that surround him is really incredible, i haven't seen any brazilian youngster being targeted by the european giants like he is. There are so many talented youngsters in brazil but Pato is just so hyped up compared to others. Ronaldinho turn down arsenal to join PSG but he is already 21 when he move to PSG so....the only 17 years old brazilian who move to europe i can remember is ronaldo.

[hwmook]

Woohoo this kid is gonna win everything for Milan next season. WPOY for 2008 definitely.

Nothing better to do?

[hwmook]

I am dreaming when i said that

but it is not entirely impossible that Pato will join chelsea after AC Milan

as he has an ambition to play for chelsea

Nonsense, he has never say that he would like to play for chelsea. No brazilian will want to play for chelsea, the club's style is the furthest thing from brazilian soccer.

You want another 30 years old who score a few goals a season and cost 45M euros? :s13:

[ghimpheng]

Nonsense, he has never say that he would like to play for chelsea. No brazilian will want to play for chelsea, the club's style is the furthest thing from brazilian soccer.

You want another 30 years old who score a few goals a season and cost 45M euros? :s13:

his contract is only 5 years

[ahgohgoh]

I am dreaming when i said that

but it is not entirely impossible that Pato will join chelsea after AC Milan

as he has an ambition to play for chelsea

he said his dream is to play for chelsea fc??!!!!???

i wonder why..... because he's already at milan... one of the most glorious clubs in europe....

[ahgohgoh]

last time robinho was very hyped ... mainly because of his stepovers LOL....

i was surprised he lived up to his hype and went to real madrid... and he's actually very good!!

[hwmook]

last time robinho was very hyped ... mainly because of his stepovers LOL....

i was surprised he lived up to his hype and went to real madrid... and he's actually very good!!

yup, robinho was also very hyped and i like his stepovers, totally outclass CR in all ways. He is actually good and fit in well in europe but he choose a wrong club to be in.

[hwmook]

his contract is only 5 years

It will always be 5 years left every year like kaka's contract if he is good. I remember chelsea trying to hijack kaka from Milan and kaka turn chelsea down even though chelsea offer more money. He say money is not everything. =:p

And too bad for chelsea, Pato is also like kaka in the sense that they both come from middle class families and are very religious. One of the reason why he landed in Milan is due to his parents hoping that he will have some good influence to guide him when he is in europe and kaka is such a good role model for Pato with his religious beliefs etc.

[Deunamist]

real madrid also tried to poach kaka before. but they failed. hahahahaha.

[Hua_Hui]

went to milan liao~

[hwmook]

:eek:

Have anybody seen the duck in action against Napoli?

He seem to be the real deal, fantastic debut. He played like a young sheva! No wonder every milan player/manager/boss think so highly of him.

Now that ronaldo is fit. kaka-ronaldo-pato will be one of the most interesting attacking trio in europe. :s22:

[vasilli07]

:eek:

Have anybody seen the duck in action against Napoli?

He seem to be the real deal, fantastic debut. He played like a young sheva! No wonder every milan player/manager/boss think so highly of him.

Now that ronaldo is fit. kaka-ronaldo-pato will be one of the most interesting attacking trio in europe. :s22:

He was out to impress last nite, and he did impress. He was desperate for his first goal, putting his head against the feet of an napoli player. With Ronaldo as his teacher, his finishing will surely be improved. :)

Inter president said he was not taking the risk in signing him. I guess he regretted it after his performance last nite.

Link to the goals from the Milan vs Napoli match.

http://ftballhighlight.blogspot.com/2008/01/ac-52.html

[Deunamist]

song boh Moratti!!

[Ronaldo_7]

last time robinho was very hyped ... mainly because of his stepovers LOL....

i was surprised he lived up to his hype and went to real madrid... and he's actually very good!!

Robinho is good... he took a while to settle at RM.. maybe because he din get much play time... as for whether he is better than CR... maybe his step overs won (but now CR is better than Robinho).. the way Robinho do it is very very natural... he also hitting form for RM this season... finally RM uses him well liao..

Pato showed good control and finishing in the game against Napoli

[ahgohgoh]

5-2.... and scored.... looks promising

[hwmook]

Inter president said he was not taking the risk in signing him. I guess he regretted it after his performance last nite.

Sour grapes, he can never sign Pato even if he want to because pato is the one who choose where he want to be.

Inter also said AC Milan snatched kaka from them but the fact is Kaka only wanted to play in AC Milan when he was leaving brazil.

[hwmook]

When Kakà received the Golden Ball in Paris, Leonardo told the France Football managers : "Be prepared: in 4 years' time i'll be back with Pato".

:eek:

Everybody in Milan is impressed with Pato. The hype is madness. :s22:

[Jackson Ng Ghim Pheng]

His Potential Talent No Doubt Surpass Kaka he is the next big thing in football

[Deunamist]

Sour grapes, he can never sign Pato even if he want to because pato is the one who choose where he want to be.

Inter also said AC Milan snatched kaka from them but the fact is Kaka only wanted to play in AC Milan when he was leaving brazil.

it's all thanks to Leonardo. Inter doesn't have such an influential scout.:s12:

[skweam]

watched the match, Pato was GODLY. ran at every ball. challenged defenders twice his size. he even went for the ball for the first goal. replays showed that he got kicked in the head. he acted like nothing happened @_@

he really looks good. and its a debut, someone might mistaken him for a serie A veteran!!

oh and kaka's goal was sweet and seedorf holding and passing was world class!

[hwmook]

watched the match, Pato was GODLY. ran at every ball. challenged defenders twice his size. he even went for the ball for the first goal. replays showed that he got kicked in the head. he acted like nothing happened @_@

he really looks good. and its a debut, someone might mistaken him for a serie A veteran!!

oh and kaka's goal was sweet and seedorf holding and passing was world class!

After the teenage prodigy Messi, now we have Pato. Anybody watch spanish soccer? Segio Augero and Dos Santos, the other 2 teenage sensations to look out for.

[Jackson Ng Ghim Pheng]

TAKE NOTE *** Pato Debut Performance is just his Normal Standard

if he is on fire he will be UnStoppable

[spykid]

I read TNP report on him yesterday. They describe him as finishing like Fat Ronaldo, as fast as Henry, strength of i think Maradona (forgot liaoz) and makes Cristiano Ronaldo's dribbling and tricks look like mug or something like that. Now that's a serious case of overhype don't you think :s13:

[Melicious]

Never really see him play. But, for an 18 year old, a debut goal is impressive. Looks very promising.
In Serie A it would be different from Brazilian league. More media explosure, and meaner defenders. Great to see this type of players emerging. But what i don't like is he is at AC Milan.

[Jackson Ng Ghim Pheng]

I read TNP report on him yesterday. They describe him as finishing like Fat Ronaldo, as fast as Henry, strength of i think Maradona (forgot liaoz) and makes Cristiano Ronaldo's dribbling and tricks look like mug or something like that. Now that's a serious case of overhype don't you think :s13:

No, he is the next big thing in Football and that is not overhyping he is truly a amazing genius talent in football.

The Next Football Legend and also Leonardo Claim that he will be back with Pato @ the World Player Award Gala within 4 years.

[wrench]

he's only 18? wow... good on Milan on getting him. Milan is a good place for youngsters to polish up and become finished article coz their support structure is excellent. and wif Ronnie guiding him and all that, look for him to score plenty of goals.

btw, Pato means duck, correct ?

also, Inter seems to have more Argentinians, anyways.

hah, now Serie A more fight !!!

[Overture1928]

I read TNP report on him yesterday. They describe him as finishing like Fat Ronaldo, as fast as Henry, strength of i think Maradona (forgot liaoz) and makes Cristiano Ronaldo's dribbling and tricks look like mug or something like that. Now that's a serious case of overhype don't you think :s13:

Honestly, other than stepovers and cutting past opponents, what other tricks does Ronaldo have ? I seriously can't think of any... Many players can easily make Ronaldo's tricks look mediocre. It's teams with weaker defences that make Ronaldo's tricks look good

[version10]

hes goal tally speaks for itself

[spykid]

Honestly, other than stepovers and cutting past opponents, what other tricks does Ronaldo have ? I seriously can't think of any... Many players can easily make Ronaldo's tricks look mediocre. It's teams with weaker defences that make Ronaldo's tricks look good

:s13: :s13: You obviously dunno what you are talking about, so don't waste my time.

[Jackson Ng Ghim Pheng]

Honestly, other than stepovers and cutting past opponents, what other tricks does Ronaldo have ? I seriously can't think of any... Many players can easily make Ronaldo's tricks look mediocre. It's teams with weaker defences that make Ronaldo's tricks look good

Agree once he is up against better quality defender he run out of ideas.

See how quiet he was when he is against the likes of Chelsea in both community shield and bpl and against Arsenal , Liverpool , Man City

Ashley Cole / Makelele / Essien / Sagna / Clichy faster and good defender lock him out easily

[Jackson Ng Ghim Pheng]

hes goal tally speaks for itself

he is good against lousy defence / slower defender because of his pace

[version10]

then how come chelsea aint bagging the goals against the same lousy defense/slow defender?

[Adolez]

then how come chelsea aint bagging the goals against the same lousy defense/slow defender?

:s13: :s13:

[yourmother]

Milan is a good place for youngsters? :s13:

The amount of self praise here is... well, laughable.

[WuSangui]

then how come chelsea aint bagging the goals against the same lousy defense/slow defender?

Chelsea is good in defence but not attack...

[version10]

Chelsea is good in defence but not attack...

but but but but but if say against the same BPL teams they conceded more also :( against the slower paced lousier defenders :( :(

[hwmook]

Milan is a good place for youngsters? :s13:

Of course not. Arsenal is a good place for youngsters because there aren't any good senior players in the squad. Milan? Nope. Milan is probably the most difficult place for youngsters unless you are the next best thing in soccer. Kaka was only 20 when he came to milan and grab a first team place at the expense of Rui Costa. Gourcuff is a very talented youngster and is highly rated even by the french NT coach but he doesn't get enough playing mins even though he did pretty well in the limited time he got on the field.

How good he is will determine how much he get to play. ;)

[Overture1928]

:s13: :s13: You obviously dunno what you are talking about, so don't waste my time.

It's ok. Obviously you don't know what I'm talking about 'cause you probably limit yourself to watching Ronaldo. :)
There are so many players with much more economical playing style and better footballing brains.
If you want big names I can throw you names like Zidane, Kaka, Ibrahimovic.(Ok, this may not be a good example since none are from Man Utd, or BPL) How often do you see them doing stepovers and end up running into the defender. Time to get outta your well. :)

[Ronaldo_7]

Pato definitely has the potential to take the football world by storm like many before him... Henry, Zidane, Kaka, Ronaldo, Messi, etc etc..

we shall see if he lives up to the expectations / hype... many hyped players died down... those who make it become world famous stars

[Overture1928]

hes goal tally speaks for itself

Your post really made my day ! LOL!
Did anyone called Alan Shearer, Michael Owen or Drogba a TRICKY player when they were top scorers ?!

[version10]

huh what talking you? the top scorers u listed no one from midfield ;)

+ if hes trick so simple how he go past defenders and score? o.o

*anyway OT too much liao this thread to the new youngster pato

[Deunamist]

it's a good thing Pato chose Milan because he wouldn't be able to do what he can at other European clubs.

look at him. for such a young debutant he's so comfortable with the style of play and could have easily gotten more than a hattrick if he could be on even better form than on his debut.

Ka-Pa-Ro's going to run riot all over the Gunners.

[saycheese]

Honestly, other than stepovers and cutting past opponents, what other tricks does Ronaldo have ? I seriously can't think of any... Many players can easily make Ronaldo's tricks look mediocre. It's teams with weaker defences that make Ronaldo's tricks look good

doing stepovers is easy, look at joe cole's stepover and compare it to ronaldo stepover. the difference in speed is obvious. The speed at which his feet move is amazingly fast

List the many players that can make ronaldo trick look mediocre? robinho? fat ron? Fat Ron is the only player in the player i rate whose stepovers are better than ronaldo as he execute it at the right moment and rarely over doing his stepovers.

you listed out Zidane and Kaka who make ronaldo tricks look mediocre, i don't remember ronaldo being the same kind of player as zidane and kaka is who can often deliver a killer pass. Ronaldo is not a playmaker, you are comparing him with different types of players. Why don't compare with wingers like malouda, robben and etc. ?

[Deunamist]

i think Mancini and R99 do it better. :D

[saycheese]

haha yeah i think R99 is the best in doing stepover too. I have not really seen much of mancini stepovers though. time for me to watch some roma match :)

[Overture1928]

doing stepovers is easy, look at joe cole's stepover and compare it to ronaldo stepover. the difference in speed is obvious. The speed at which his feet move is amazingly fast

List the many players that can make ronaldo trick look mediocre? robinho? fat ron? Fat Ron is the only player in the player i rate whose stepovers are better than ronaldo as he execute it at the right moment and rarely over doing his stepovers.

you listed out Zidane and Kaka who make ronaldo tricks look mediocre, i don't remember ronaldo being the same kind of player as zidane and kaka is who can often deliver a killer pass. Ronaldo is not a playmaker, you are comparing him with different types of players. Why don't compare with wingers like malouda, robben and etc. ?

Look, what I'm trying to say is, there are many players who are able to get the ball around effectively and economically. Anyway, you have just said it yourself, "rarely over doing his stepovers". And by saying that, isn't that as good as saying that Ronaldo doesn't really have much tricks up his sleeves other than doing one too many stepovers ?
By the way, I'm not comparing players who play any particular positions. I'm talking about players who are able to bust the right moves to get past any player. Or should I say, tricks ?
Do you guys even know what am I driving at ?

[saycheese]

you surely did not make that point in your post which i quoted. in that case won't makalele be deemed as a much better player than ronaldo is? Makalele pass the ball with great efficiency often delivering it fast to more attacking minded players. At Real Madrid, he can be deemed as the springboard for Real Madrid attacks.

Loads of players are able to do that, passing the ball effectively but do they bring the match winning ablity that ronaldo bring with him? anyway we are out of topic, lets just hope that Pato do not become like Denilson with all that hype.

[Ronaldo_7]

haha yeah i think R99 is the best in doing stepover too. I have not really seen much of mancini stepovers though. time for me to watch some roma match :)

i remembered one of Mancini's goal... he did some crossover.. while defender is still blur.. he whack it into the net.. woo ~ power...

fat Ronaldo is the best liao in terms of crossover... but at times during his stint at RM.. he did them at the wrong time and its frustrating to watch.. but last time.. damn precise.. usually he do them before he hammer the ball..

[Deunamist]

R99 at Barca and Inter reigned supreme. it's good he hasn't lost that goalscoring touch even till now.

[Ronaldo_7]

R99 at Barca and Inter reigned supreme. it's good he hasn't lost that goalscoring touch even till now.

that is born in him... :)

[spykid]

It's ok. Obviously you don't know what I'm talking about 'cause you probably limit yourself to watching Ronaldo. :)
There are so many players with much more economical playing style and better footballing brains.
If you want big names I can throw you names like Zidane, Kaka, Ibrahimovic.(Ok, this may not be a good example since none are from Man Utd, or BPL) How often do you see them doing stepovers and end up running into the defender. Time to get outta your well. :)

LOL and you think i don't watch Zidane, Kaka and Ibrahimovic play football? Trying to act world football guru? :s13:

Ronaldo has his own playing style, they have their own. How to compare? Ronaldo uses tricks and pace, Zidane uses composure and glides away from his markers, Kaka prefers a slide-rule pass, each have their own effective style which they grew up and accustomed with.

After all, a 22 year old right winger with 'less economical playing style and poorer footballing brain have scored 22 goals in all competitions midway through the season :s13:

Oops out of topic. It's your fault.

[AhHuat]

this pato....can play in champions league this season?

eager to see him play in champions league....

[skweam]

this pato....can play in champions league this season?

eager to see him play in champions league....
i hope so lah, i remember theres a second round of enlisting players rite? really wanna see pato rip apart defenders lol

hes really that good to an extent that milan isnt boring anymore, esp upfront. and during that match, how come Maldini played as left winger? @_@

[Deunamist]

Maldini's natural position is always at left fullback.

[skweam]

oooo, thought he always play central, what with his age haha

[Deunamist]

past few years he's been playing centreback more often.. lol.

[Ronaldo_7]

maybe don't want run too much le.. let those can run one take the flanks.. he sit in center..

i'm not saying Maldini cannot run :)

[hwmook]

doing stepovers is easy, look at joe cole's stepover and compare it to ronaldo stepover. the difference in speed is obvious. The speed at which his feet move is amazingly fast

List the many players that can make ronaldo trick look mediocre? robinho? fat ron? Fat Ron is the only player in the player i rate whose stepovers are better than ronaldo as he execute it at the right moment and rarely over doing his stepovers.

Moving your feets over the ball so fast is pointless if your body doesn't move. Even an old man like cafu can tackle the ball away from C.R without much effort. His stepovers seldom faked good defenders, only those not so good defenders get faked. C.R mostly use his pace to get past the opponents.

If want to talk about stepovers, the best i have seen are definitely from the old ronaldo and robinho. Ronaldo's feets doesn't move over the ball that fast but his body and feets often fake the opponents and confused them. He only do a few stepovers before getting past or shooting unlike C.R who like to do a dozen stepovers but still remain in the same spot. Robinho's stepovers is always pretty fast and not only that, he does it at full sprinting speed which make it all the more amazing.

C.R's stepovers can only rank 3rd behind these 2 in the current situation. C.R is effective in his own ways like pace and quite a good and powerful shot. C.R is definitely one of the top player in the world currently.

[hwmook]

i remembered one of Mancini's goal... he did some crossover.. while defender is still blur.. he whack it into the net.. woo ~ power...

fat Ronaldo is the best liao in terms of crossover... but at times during his stint at RM.. he did them at the wrong time and its frustrating to watch.. but last time.. damn precise.. usually he do them before he hammer the ball..

Mancini did that in the UCL last season. The fat Ron repeat that trick in Serie A a few days later and also score. ;)

[hwmook]

this pato....can play in champions league this season?

eager to see him play in champions league....

I think so. Milan can register him for UCL to face arsenal.

[hwmook]

maybe don't want run too much le.. let those can run one take the flanks.. he sit in center..

i'm not saying Maldini cannot run :)

Maldini can run......but only 1 way. He run up then cannot run back to defend......But Milan central pairing is now Nesta and Khaladze so Maldini is just getting ready to retire at the end of season......

[Overture1928]

LOL and you think i don't watch Zidane, Kaka and Ibrahimovic play football? Trying to act world football guru? :s13:

Ronaldo has his own playing style, they have their own. How to compare? Ronaldo uses tricks and pace, Zidane uses composure and glides away from his markers, Kaka prefers a slide-rule pass, each have their own effective style which they grew up and accustomed with.

After all, a 22 year old right winger with 'less economical playing style and poorer footballing brain have scored 22 goals in all competitions midway through the season :s13:

Oops out of topic. It's your fault.

In the first place, I really don't understand how you guys can associate scoring goals with economical playing styles and tricks. If another player squares a ball to you and you just tap it in, does that involve tricks? If you score from a penalty or a freekick, does that involve tricks? You do a couple stepovers and get the beat 2 defenders then place the ball past the keeper, well done, that's one trick. Perhaps you guys can start listing the "tricks" C.Ronaldo does and try to convince me he is a player with ideas and trickery. Anyway, I won't further this discussion since none of you guys seem to understand what I'm talking about.

Back to the discussion on Pato. Though there's alot of word of him being the next big thing after Kaka, and alot of worries about him burning out early. I doubt that will happen under the guidance of great players like Ronaldo and Kaka himself. Just hope that he doesn't enjoy partying as much as soccer like his Inter counterpart who's loaned to Sao Paulo

[Deunamist]

maybe don't want run too much le.. let those can run one take the flanks.. he sit in center..

i'm not saying Maldini cannot run :)

yah, he's old liao and probably knows when to limit. nowadays u see Maldini being fielded once every two weeks, and he usually plays only 1 half.

whenever he runs, he's really lightning quick for 40 and still has excellent ball control. :eek:

one of the reasons why C.R. failed against Milan last season is because the entire Milan back four is at least 10 years older than him, and most of them have faced similar players like R99 (at Inter) and Ronaldinho before. they have so much more experience in handling tricky players.

[Jackson Ng Ghim Pheng]

huh what talking you? the top scorers u listed no one from midfield ;)

+ if hes trick so simple how he go past defenders and score? o.o

*anyway OT too much liao this thread to the new youngster pato

how about Frank Lampard ?

[skweam]

past few years he's been playing centreback more often.. lol.
haha, expected ah. btw, ure maldini from KR rite? haha

[Deunamist]

yeah. i am. lol.

[hwmook]

http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=562860

2 more goals for the duck, already starting to look like a good buy.

[Deunamist]

Former Milan striking ace Andriy Shevchenko claims that Rossoneri starlet Alexandre Pato is his heir at San Siro.

Since arriving from Brazilian side Internacional in January, the 18-year-old Pato has won plaudits all over the peninsula with his impressive performances and fired a match-winning double against Genoa last weekend.

The last time the Milan faithful embraced a new arrival with such fervour was Shevchenko, who also made a fast start to his career when he scored his first Champions League goal for Dynamo Kiev at the age of 18.

“Pato does resemble me because he likes to play from deep,” Sheva told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“He isn’t a first striker and he is similar to me in the way he plays as he reads the play and attacks the spaces. I like how Pato always moves forward rather than laterally.

“I was exactly like him in that I was dangerous but I missed lots of chances. I improved over the years, but Pato is lucky to have arrived at Milan so early.

“It’s not too soon to come to Milan as he has teammates who will help him to grow. These are players with a different view of the game to others, men like Andrea Pirlo, Kaka and Clarence Seedorf and playing alongside those kind of stars is a guarantee for a striker. Pato will write his story just like I made mine.

“It doesn’t matter how many goals he scores as long as he is growing. Pato is perfect for Milan’s style of play and they need a player like him – it is the perfect marriage.”

Although it seems increasingly unlikely that Shevchenko will ever return to San Siro, he still has great affection for his former side.

“I am happy with the time I spent at Milan, as they were seven fantastic years and it was my best period of my career,” he reflected.

“Even the difficult seasons were good and that will stay with me. I love Milan and I love Italy as it gave me so much.”

[SjXycloniz]

yeah, he is scoring a couple of goals...

but isn't he a different player from KAKA, Pato is a striker, a forward that can roam around. Kaka is a attacking midfielder.

He has the potential, and at Milan he should be able to do well with experienced player like Seerdof , Pirlo

not to mention Kaka himself.

[Jackson Ng Ghim Pheng]

Pure Genius as expected Certainly Live Up To The Expectations

[Kchfoo]

FORZA MILAN!!!

Pato is indeed a splendid addition to the Milan squad. He's blistering quick, has good ball control and neat dribbling skills. What Pato currently lacks is some composure and experience when in front of the goal which can be seen in his debut game for Milan against Napoli where he struck the ball twice at the keeper and needed Clarence Seedorf to ram it in the third time. He did eventually score a beautiful goal towards the end of the game.

His lack of composure was evident against Reggina when he scored his 2nd goal of the game.
Pato did well from the right bursting pass a defender bringing the ball into the penalty box but he struck the ball straight at the keeper and was lucky when his first shot rebounded off the keeper to him once again as he walked into the goal.

However, he is doing really well for a 18 year old and would definitely improve by the end of this season with the likes of Kaka, Ronaldo, Seedorf and Pirlo around him. I seriously think that Pato has what it takes to be a much better player than Shevchenko with so many years ahead of him. Finally!!! Milan has made a good buy ever since they bought Kaka. I hope he stays with Milan for many years to come. I was really sad when Shevy left coz Milan had to depend on Gilardino and Inzaghi. Although i don't really like the both of them, to be fair i would say Pippo is really effective when he is fielded in important matches.

What Milan needs now is to get new defenders and they'll reign supreme in Italy, Europe and the World.

[WuSangui]

He score again. A great composure goal against Forientina. He is really good. A lanky and consider small guy but got great physical strength.

[Overture1928]

Bad sprain after putting his foot down awkwardly
Sad

[WuSangui]

Bad sprain after putting his foot down awkwardly
Sad
Not very serious,right? Hope he will not be out for more than 2 weeks..

Btw,Inzaghi got kidney stone? Everyday got physical training still got kidney stone? I thought only those anyhow eat and unfit people will kena kidney stone!

[skweam]

He score again. A great composure goal against Forientina. He is really good. A lanky and consider small guy but got great physical strength.
yeah agree, big defenders not a problem for him it seems @_@

[Jackson Ng Ghim Pheng]

Come on 10 minutes or so and scored

Live up to his reputation once again

[FLiNcHY]

wah so scary. arsenal is in for some big time trouble at the san siro

[Jackson Ng Ghim Pheng]

wah so scary. arsenal is in for some big time trouble at the san siro

But Pato is injure during the match against Fiorentina don't think he will be able to make it for the first leg against Arsenal

[Deunamist]

the second leg is at san siro. alamak.