From San Siro to Sixfields
Fifteen years ago he was scoring in Milan and the game had already decided he would be Brazil’s next great number nine. On Friday his name appeared in a Northampton Town press release.
Not as a signing. As an investor.
Pato, now 36, is part of a consortium fronted by Sports Alpha Capital that wants a controlling stake in the League Two club. Gemcorp Capital is in on it too.
Try it for $0.99.
The part that usually kills these deals
Most English takeover bids die at the regulator. This one did not.
Northampton confirmed on their website that the Independent Football Regulator and the English Football League have both signed off on the investment. Chairman Kelvin Thomas welcomed the clearance, which leaves the consortium free to move on the stake.
He is not coming back to play
Pato hung up his boots in 2023. Sixty-three goals in 150 appearances for AC Milan, a Serie A title in 2011, a short and largely forgotten stint at Chelsea, then Brazil again.
Everyone remembers the rest. The hamstrings. The seasons that started well and ended in a treatment room.
So the return is through a boardroom in England’s fourth tier instead. Nobody was drawing that career for him when he was 19. It might also be the least painful version of it.
Find the latest football news on our mathodds website and app!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply