Orlando City forward Alexandre Pato has revealed that he and his father checked into a “sex hotel” during his time as a young trialist, while also speaking about the wild lifestyle he used to live in the early years of his professional career.
Now 32, Pato has turned out for AC Milan, Chelsea and his native Brazil, but his journey to stardom was not an easy one.
And he has spoken about how his life in Los Angeles almost got out of hand, before he was able to turn his career around back in his homeland.
'A girl was snorting coke right next to me'
Pato has spoken to The Player's Tribune, and opened up on how his life began to drift following his departure from Tianjin Tianhai in 2019.
"After China, I was still single, so I decided to enjoy my freedom," he explained. "I went to Los Angeles. I wanted the best hotel, the best car, the best parties.
"I ended up at this place where a girl was snorting coke right next to me. Suddenly I was like, 'What am I doing here?'
"This was not what I wanted. It was an empty world. I asked a friend, 'Am I really going to spend the rest of my life alone?'
"So I go back to Brazil and text an old friend, Rebeca. 'You want to hang out?' We grab a coffee and within seconds I’m like, 'Yes, this is what I want.'
"The next time I see her she says, 'We’re going to church.' Man, it was a revelation. The bible had all the answers I was looking for. I turned my head to the sky and said, 'Lord, I no longer want this life.'
"That day my life changed forever."
GettyPato went onto sign for Sao Paulo, before joining Orlando ahead of the 2021 MLS season, for whom he has scored three goals in 19 appearances.
What did Pato say about the 'sex hotel'?
Speaking about the build-up to being taken on by his first club, Pato said: “So I got a trial with Internacional. That’s when we ended up at the sex hotel.
“So let me explain. We didn’t have much money, right? My mum couldn’t work due to a bad back, so my dad had to provide for my older brother, my sister and me.
“He was out all day building motorways. We had food on the table, but at the private school I couldn’t even afford the books. I turned up with photocopies. I mean it.
“Anyway, you can see that my dad had to get creative sometimes. So the big day comes and we’re off to the trial at Internacional. The chance of a lifetime. We drive up from Pato Branco to Porto Alegre, nine hours on the road. We get there and my dad realises: he can’t afford a proper hotel.
“What does he do? He checks us in at a sex hotel. He’s like, 'Son, this is the only place we can afford.' And I’m all like, 'Let’s do it, dad!'
“Man, I had no clue! I was too young to understand. I think our room had a tiny bed, that was it. The hotel was opposite of the Beira-Rio, so people were having sex while looking at Inter’s stadium.
“I still joke with my dad about this. If he did that today he’d probably go to jail.
“Thank God, I got accepted by Inter. But I swear, I wasn’t thinking about turning professional. In fact, I felt blessed to be playing at all.”