By Matt Lawton Follow @@Matt_Lawton_DM It was in Zurich, in October 2007, that Brazil were awarded this World Cup and some 180 miles south of Fifa’s sumptuous headquarters a teenage footballer must have been struck by more than a tinge of excitement. For a then 17-year-old Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva, now better known as Pato, the timing could not have been more perfect. Come the finals in 2014 he would be 24-years-old, and by then the prominent figure in Brazil’s attack. Waste: Pato was on course to become a star for Brazil, but his talent never came to fruition Fresh-faced: A 17-year-old Pato signing for AC Milan. At that point the world was at his feet
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Precocious 17-year-old has failed to mature into a star
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Now 24, Pato is kept out of the Brazil squad by Jo
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Striker's party lifestyle to blame along with muscle injuries
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
But if @placeholder loved Pato, Pato loved dating some of Brazil’s more glamorous women and this, in the view of many observers, is where some of his problems began.
Pato
Pato
Pato
Pato
But if Brazil loved Pato, @placeholder loved dating some of Brazil’s more glamorous women and this, in the view of many observers, is where some of his problems began.