The sheer amount of hype surrounding 18-year-old Brazilian forward Alexandre Pato has reached a fever pitch in Europe that makes the NBA arrival of LeBron James seem tame by comparison. Pato is already being compared to Lionel Messi, Barcelona's Argentinian superstar. Some are saying he is not only A.C. Milan's future, but the Italian club's last best hope to save this season. These astronomical expectations made our pal Brian Phillips at The Run of Play wax philosophical.
So what was better, watching him or not watching him? What, between achievement and potential, do we love more? Seeing a player accomplish something has the thrill of reality in it; but our imaginations are always larger than reality, and seeing a player accomplish something also means he can't accomplish more than what we see. In Pato's first match, I saw Ronaldo, one of the best players in the recent history of the game, return from injury and score two goals. But where Ronaldo was only what he was, Pato what infinitely more than he was, and it was Pato who made the game electric.
It's the presence of Ronaldo, however, makes Pato's Italian debut a much more interesting story.
Here in one view, we see the Brazil's past (Ronaldo) and future (Pato) in front of us -- to say nothing of its present (Kaká). Ronaldo is the grizzled veteran who has won everything there is to win and has seen his career derailed in recent years as a result of injuries and bad eating habits. Just as he's reached the stage in his career where he can serve as a mentor to younger players, here comes the most celebrated teenager in recent memory, and he just happens to be the mentor's fellow countryman.
A.C. Milan is clearly desperate this season. They're mired in 12th place, 11 points down in the hunt for the fourth and final Champions League qualifying spot in Serie A. They had not won a game at home until last weekend, when Ronaldo scored two goals and spent the rest of his time trying to set up Pato for his first. The vast majority of Milan supporters seem to believe Pato is the only player who can save their season.
That's a lot of pressure to put on a kid who just turned 18, and that's why Ronaldo's return is just as important to Milan. Pato can't save this superclub by himself. He needs a mentor to guide him through. Who better than the man that the 12-year-old Pato one saw bring home the World Cup? If Milan do manage to qualify for next year's Champions League, it will be the result of Brazil's past, present and future taking them there together.
