From Milan into the classroom: Pato begins life to Harvard

From Milan into the classroom: Pato begins life to Harvard

Cambridge, Vereinigte Staaten - Alexandre Pato, once celebrated as one of the largest striker talents in the world, took a surprising turn in his career. After completing his football career in 2025, the Brazilian ex-professional is now devoting himself to an academic career. Pato studies at the Harvard elite university in the "Business of Entertainment, Media and Sports" course. This reports Laola1

The path of Pato was not always easy. At the beginning of his career at AC Milan, where he hired in 2007, he quickly gained high expectations. With the then stars Ronaldinho, Kaka, Seedorf, Beckham and Pirlo, he played in one of the strongest teams in the league. Despite his initial successes, such as the award as the Europe's U21 player of the year in 2009, injuries have repeatedly plagued him since 2010. These health setbacks led him to always be under pressure, which had a negative impact on his performance, as Pato described in an emotional letter that he recently published. In this he also goes into his serious injury and the tumor that was discovered, which required emergency operation. His father could not bear the cost of treatment, but a helpful doctor offered his services free of charge, which makes Pato very grateful.

The dark side of fame

Pato often found media reporting about his career difficult. The pressure associated with its fame and the high expectations of his fans led to it that he felt lost from football. Questions like "What happened to Pato?" And "Why did he never win the balloon d’Or?" chased him while he had to deal with injuries and personal fights. In interviews, he expressed that the influence of Silvio Berlusconi, the then Milan owner, and whose high expectations were also created to him. Pato had the feeling of being left alone in the press because he had no PR consultant.

Extended insights into the effect of media on athletes provide studies such as those of the Liechtenstein Gymnasium Vaduz. These illuminate the dependence between the media and athletes and show how journalistic pressure can lead to emotional stress and ultimately also to physical injuries. Athletes are often under the compulsion to always achieve top performance, which the situation exacerbates, since they also have to give personal insights to help shape the image that is told about them, as in the specialist work . .

a new phase of life

Despite the difficulties that accompanied him, Pato is optimistic. He says that he is now 32 years old, happy and fit and has still hoped to participate in a world championship. In addition to his academic career to Harvard, he recently posted a video on Instagram, in which he juggles with the former Formula 1 star Sebastian Vettel, which gives him tailwind and joy in life. This new phase in his life symbolizes a fresh start in which he wants to use his experiences from professional football for future challenges and possible careers in the media and sports business.