Ex-Milan striker Alexandre Pato praises his former teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic and warns the Rossoneri ahead of their match against Tottenham in the Champions League: ‘We lost against Spurs and Arsenal.’
The defending Serie A champions will visit Antonio Conte’s team in North London on March 8 in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16. Did Pato enjoy the first leg in Milan, won by the Rossoneri?
“For sure, I am really happy Milan won, but it’s tough to face a Premier League club,” he told TMW.
“I played Tottenham when I was at Milan and we were eliminated [from the Champions League]. The same as against Arsenal.”
Pato’s Milan were eliminated in the Champions League Round of 16 by Arsenal in 2007-08 and Spurs at the same stage in 2010-11.
Ibrahimovic hasn’t been included in Milan’s Champions League list for the knock-out phase but the Swede made his highly-anticipated return to action coming off the Milan bench during Sunday’s 2-0 win over Atalanta at the Giuseppe Meazza.
He had been absent for 30 of the Rossoneri’s competitive matches whilst recovering from knee surgery immediately after the 2021-22 season.
The age-defying Swede’s former Milan colleague, Pato, has suffered more than his fair share of injuries throughout his career, but spoke of Zlatan’s mental resilience and desire to return to action.
“Unfortunately when players suffer an injury it gets tough. Nobody wants to stay away from the pitch and when you come back you think of it as revenge,” the former Brazilian international told TMW.
“He’s been through a lot lately but he’s always bounced back. That’s the beauty of football.
Ibrahimovic and Pato enjoyed a fruitful two-year spell together in Milan between 2010-12, lifting both the Scudetto and the Supercoppa in 2011.
Despite being eight years to Ibrahimovic’s junior, Pato is not surprised that his former teammate is still able to operate at the highest level of the game.
“Ibrahimovic doesn’t surprise me, it’s always been like this. I think it’s hard to see him quit because he really wants to continue,” he said.
At 41 years of age, Ibra is the oldest player to feature for the Rossoneri in Serie A’s three-points-per-game era, having overtaken Alessandro Costacurta in 2022.
Pato added: “I like people like this, who have the strength to overcome difficult moments.”