“In my head I was already holding the Ballon d'Or” – Alexandre Pato opens up on what led to remarkable fall from grace at Milan

Former AC Milan striker Alexander Pato has revealed that he had lofty dreams of winning the Ballon d'Or before his career went downhill.

The 32-year-old addressed issues concerning his career in an emotional expose on the Player's Tribune.

He stated that winning the Golden Boy award in 2009 automatically made him aim for loftier heights but he was too focused on the future.

He wrote:

"I loved the attention. I wanted to be talked about. But you know what happened? I began dreaming too much. Even though I was still working hard, my imagination was taking me all kinds of places. In my head I was already holding the Ballon d’Or. You can’t help it, man. It’s very hard not to get affected. Also, I had suffered like hell to get there. Why should I not enjoy it?''

"When I became the Golden Boy as the best young player in Europe, in 2009, I didn’t think about the Ballon d’Or. I was just having fun and OPA! A prize."

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''I was unstoppable when I was living in the present. But my head got stuck in the future."

Pato emerged as a star in the making with his performances for Internacional, where he scores ten times in 18 games for the senior team.

He garnered global attention when he helped the club win the 2006 FIFA Club, becoming the youngest goalscorer at a FIFA tournament in the process. Despite the bright start, Pato would go on to make only 27 appearances for Brazil, scoring ten times.

He continued his upward trajectory with impressive displays in his early years at AC Milan, leading to him being named the Golden Boy in 2009. It was here that he enjoyed the best spell of his club career, scoring 63 goals in 150 games to go with 18 assists.

It was considered only a matter of time before he won the Ballon d'Or, while many also clamored for Pato to be included in Brazil's 2010 FIFA World Cup squad.

He was, however, plagued by off-field controversies and recurring injuries.

This meant that Pato joined a long list of wonderkids who failed to live up to the heights expected.

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Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland lead the current generation of potential Ballon d'Or winners

Mbappe could win the Ballon d'Or in the nearest future

Kylian Mbappe had the most explosive start to a teenage career in recent memory when he burst onto the scene at Monaco.

Since then, he has grown from strength to strength and is globally recognized as the torchbearer for the next generation.

The France international is already on his way to being an all-time great and has all the tools to be a multi-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Not far behind is Erling Haaland, with the Norway international becoming one of the standout strikers in the world in just under three years of elite football.

His move to Manchester City will bring the requisite success and mass appeal to increase his chances.

Ansu Fati's injuries might have stalled him since last year, but the Barcelona man remains a bonafide game-changer and could climb back to the summit if he remains injury free.

Vinicius Jr. has started fulfilling the early promise he showed. If the Brazil international can maintain his trajectory to become Real Madrid's talisman, his Ballon d'Or chances would be boosted by virtue of Los Blancos' iconic standing in the game.

Elsewhere, the likes of Phil Foden and Joao Felix have bright futures ahead, while Luis Diaz could become the breakout star of a new era at Anfield.