AC Milan legend Pato attended an interview at the Trento Sports Festival organized by La Gazzetta dello Sport. This is the second part of the interview.

By the way, recently there's been big news about you: you and your investment group acquired an English football club, Northampton. As a new club owner, how have you prepared for this new role? Are you directly involved in the club's management and planning?

Alright! First, I want to say to all AC Milan fans here that even if you support other teams, now you can have a second team to support – that's Northampton. Everyone can start buying our shirts!

Look at the big screen – that's you!

Yes, I look quite handsome and stylish in that photo (laughs). Getting back to the main topic, we've really decided to invest in football. This is a project I've studied carefully over a long time – I spent three full years researching, traveling around the world to better understand how modern football operates and is run as a business. I even took specialized courses, and this knowledge gave me the confidence and determination to make this move.

After gradually stepping away from my career as a top-level player, I thought that if I ever wanted to do something in football again, I hoped it would be as a club owner. Because I wasn't sure if I'd be suited to become a head coach or sports director on the pitch; I prefer to look at things from a broader perspective. Now, after three years of learning and meeting people in the industry, I finally had the opportunity to acquire this club. I'm confident that through our efforts, one day we'll bring this team to the Champions League.

We wish you all the best! Although the road ahead is long and difficult, dreams will eventually become reality...

Yes, the process will certainly not be easy, but we will fight for it.

Wonderful! We hope you'll come back and share the story of this new adventure with us!

No problem, that will be a very interesting story.

Of course! You just mentioned having a three-year-old son, which reminds me of your childhood. You left home and your parents at age 11 to pursue your football dream at Internacional's youth academy. Now that you're a father yourself, do you have new feelings when looking back on the sacrifices your parents made and the freedom they gave you to pursue your dreams?

Yes, you're absolutely right. Now that I'm a father, seeing my son fills my heart with all kinds of emotions, even a bit of bittersweet feelings... because it really wasn't easy at all. I deeply understand everything my parents did back then, and the pain they endured to persevere.For example, this time I was only away from home for five days, but I was so eager to fly back because I missed my son so much.

I completely understand that feeling...

Yes, you have three children, so you understand even more deeply this yearning for family. When I left home, my parents also had to leave me with my grandparents.

Yes, we also left our children with our grandparents back then, exactly like your situation...

Exactly, so my parents now take care of my son very carefully. And the way my grandparents care for my son is they completely ignore all the rules you've set – the moment they arrive, they spoil him endlessly...

Grandparents are simply "rule breakers" – they spoil the grandchildren so much!

Haha, that's right. But I have to say, it's been an incredibly long journey in life, and even today, looking back, it still feels difficult. Time can't go back, but that's life, and fortunately everything turned out well. I'm extremely grateful to my parents; they gave me unlimited strength and allowed me to become the person I am today. I often tell myself that I'm willing to do anything for them for the rest of my life, to the best of my ability, because they gave me something I might never have had or dared to have at that time – the courage to bet everything and pursue a dream.

Let's give the warmest applause for this great parental love!In your childhood, you not only had to face loneliness and homesickness, but also had to endure a terrible disease – if we can speak frankly, it was an arteriovenous malformation that you suffered from as a child. Fortunately, a doctor named Paulo Roberto Mussi decided to perform free surgery for you; perhaps he saw the light of a future champion in you even then...

Yes, that's right. Unfortunately, I contracted this condition when I was young. As you know, my family's financial situation was very difficult at that time, and my parents simply didn't have enough money to pay for the expensive surgery; we also didn't have comprehensive health insurance.But the situation was very critical; the doctor said that if I didn't have surgery immediately within a month, my arm might not be saved and would have to be amputated.

Here, I also want to say to all parents in the world that you should record more videos and take more photos of your children, because when they grow up, these things become the most precious memories. At that time, my father happened to have some video tapes of me playing football when I was younger. He took these tapes to meet Dr. Mussi, showed him the videos, and said: "Doctor, look, this is my son. He has real talent for football! Football is his life, and his dream is to become a professional player. We really don't have money now, but if the doctor could help us, please save the child..."

After hearing this, Dr. Mussi generously said: "Don't worry, we'll arrange the surgery right away! You don't need to pay a single cent; I'll cover all the costs." This is Dr. Paulo Roberto Mussi – his generosity is truly moving.

This is truly a beautiful story, showing the great love of humanity, selflessness and incredible generosity, and also the tremendous perseverance your father showed to save you at that time...

Yes. The most touching part is that he brought hope to our entire family. After the surgery, my arm was in a thick cast, but I even went to play football with the cast on! Yes, I never stopped playing football for a single moment.

There's also a small heartwarming story about my hometown, Pato Branco: Dr. Mussi lived in a very beautiful apartment building in our town. When I was 12 years old, right after my surgery, my parents and I passed by that building, and I looked at it and told my parents: "Dad, Mom, when I grow up and make money, someday I'll buy an apartment in this building for you!"

Really?

Yes! Later, when I was 16 years old, after I signed my first professional player contract, was promoted to the first team, and received my first salary, I immediately went and bought an apartment in that building for them! Now my parents and Dr. Mussi live in the same building, right next to each other, seeing each other every day.

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