Pato: I Nearly Lost A Limb To Cancer

The Brazilian starlet has revealed that he narrowly avoided amputation at a young age.

Milan young gun Alexandre Pato has been a revelation since making his debut for the club in January 2008, when he scored in the Rossoneri’s convincing 5-2 triumph over Napoli at the San Siro stadium.

Since then he has gone on to make a name for himself as one of the world’s top talents, with a number of dazzling displays for both his club and country.

However, during a recent television program broadcast in Brazil, Pato sensationally confessed that his life may not have been as it is today had it not been for the doctors who identified that he had cancer at a young age.

“At the age of 11, before joining Internacional, I had broken my left arm twice in the same place, and required some examinations to determine the extent of the injury,” Pato affirmed in the program ‘Esporte Espetacular’.

“The investigations however had identified a tumour in the arm, and immediately it was feared that I would need to have my arm amputated.

“Thankfully I managed to have surgery to have it removed, and it was a success.”

At the age of just 19, the Brazilian has already proven his potential for the future, and that he has all the credentials at this stage to become one of the game's greats.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/10/italy/2009/03/31/1183719/milans-pato-admits-he-risked-amputation-as-a-child