Former Brazil striker admits he regrets Chelsea transfer
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 4 Nov 2022 08:46 GMT
- 3 min read
Former Chelsea and Brazil striker Alexandre Pato has revealed he regrets joining the Blues back in 2016.
Pato, who is now 33 and plying his trade for Major League Soccer side Orlando City SC, joined Chelsea on loan from Corinthians in January 2016, but his stint at Stamford Bridge lasted just six months as the West London side opted against making the deal permanent.
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The Brazilian, who rose to prominence at AC Milan after a big-money move from Internacional to San Siro back in 2007, returned to his homeland in 2013 and before joining Chelsea he spent the final few months of his time at Corinthians on loan at Sao Paulo.
However, Pato has admitted that the move to West London in January 2016 is one he now wishes he hadn't made.
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What has Pato said?
In an interview with The Players' Tribune, Pato said: "You know why I played so much better at São Paulo? They looked after me properly. There I just had to play. But when Chelsea called me, I was still dreaming of Europe. Unfortunately, I paid the price again for being overprotected.
"I still didn’t get it. I thought that Chelsea would loan me for six months and then I’d sign for three years. I didn’t realise that they could say no after the loan. Had I known? I would have gone elsewhere. It was a pity, because I was training really well, and the coach only played me twice. I never understood why."
Despite scoring on his Chelsea debut in a 4-0 rout away at Villa Park, Pato made just one more appearance during his spell at the club - a start against Swansea a week after his goal against Aston Villa.
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At the time, Diego Costa was Chelsea's main man through the middle, with Guus Hiddink favouring the former Atletico Madrid star over Pato. Furthermore, the likes of Loic Remy and Radamel Falcao were also competing with Pato for minutes on the pitch.
After Chelsea decided against signing Pato on a permanent deal, he returned to Corinthians before joining Spanish side Villarreal a month later. The Brazilian lasted just six months at The Yellow Submarines before leaving to move to China.
