Football
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Alexandre Pato blames AC Milan over his injury troubles

Former AC Milan forward Alexandre Pato has blamed the Serie A club for all the injury problems he had in Italy.

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Pato, 25, who now plays for Sao Paulo, made 150 appearances for the Rossoneri in five-and-a-half years, scoring 63 goals.

That tally could have been more, though, and he may still have been at the club now had it not been for a string of injuries which blighted his final two-and-a-half years in Milan.

The Brazil international now says his muscular problems would not have persisted had he been given the right treatment, pointing the finger at the Italian side for repeatedly rushing him back into action.

"I did everything that the club and the doctors told me, but the more I tried to recover, the more I injured myself again," Pato told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I travelled the world to seek help, but they kept doing things in such a rush, sending me back into action too soon and that is why I kept getting hurt.

"As soon as I got back to Brazil, I was feeling better already within a week. I wonder why..."

Pato moved to Corinthians in January 2013 where things did not fare much better for him, although it was not because of injury that he did not succeed.

"It was more of a tactical problem than anything else," Pato said. "But I'm happy now and I have no problems, and I want to get back into the national team. Things are going great at Sao Paulo and I hope I can stay here for a long time, and play at the 2018 World Cup."

Of his time in Milan, Pato did look back fondly at his relationship with club president Silvio Berlusconi.

"He always treated me well, with affection," said Pato, who had a long-term relationship with Berlusconi's daughter and current Milan vice-president Barbara Berlusconi. "He is like that with everybody. He's a truly special person."

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