As a professional player, injuries are an inevitable topic. However, Pato's injury count in 2010 was a bit high. On December 23rd, *Gazzetta dello Sport* conducted a statistic: this "Milan Golden Boy" underwent major repairs due to injuries eight times in 2010.
Regarding the multiple injuries that affected Pato in 2010, *Gazzetta dello Sport* believed that the Brazilian’s experience was like the disaster movie *2012*. Apart from injury issues, Pato also had continuous off-field troubles. In April, he divorced his wife Stephanie. Afterwards, they faced each other in court multiple times over child support issues. Currently, as 2010 is about to end, Pato is expected to return in the first match of the New Year against Cagliari. The Brazilian certainly hopes for a fresh start in 2011, free from injuries.
Since the start of the new Serie A season, injuries have continued to plague Pato. In the Champions League group stage match against Auxerre, Pato was injured and left the field early. The diagnosis showed that Pato had strained his left thigh adductor muscle. Afterward, the Brazilian missed four matches involving AC Milan versus Catania, Lazio, Genoa, and Ajax. On November 11th, during AC Milan's home victory over Palermo, Pato scored the opening goal with a header. Unexpectedly, he was injured again in the second half and left the field. Subsequently, Pato missed matches against Inter Milan, the Argentine national team, Fiorentina, Auxerre, Sampdoria, Brescia, Ajax, Bologna, and Roma. It is anticipated that Pato will be ready for the first match of 2011. Due to the impact of his injuries, Pato only participated in eight league matches in the first half of the season. Throughout 2010, Pato was injured multiple times, and he only played in 15 league matches.
Pato encountered injury problems even before the first league match of 2010. At the time, AC Milan was playing at home against Genoa, and Pato suffered a strain in his adductor muscle during the final training session before the game. This injury kept the Brazilian out for nearly a month. It wasn’t until February, in a match against Udinese, that Pato returned to the field. In his first game back, Pato scored a goal. Afterward, he scored five goals in four games, showing impressive form. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. At the end of February, Pato was injured again. During a match against Atalanta, Pato scored twice. Unexpectedly, he aggravated his old injury during a long sprint in the second half. About a month later, Pato's condition improved. Medical personnel advised him to delay his return, but the Brazilian refused and insisted on playing. As a result, in the match against Napoli, Pato was forced to leave the field after just 15 minutes, suffering from the same right thigh issue. On May 9th, Pato returned in AC Milan's away match against Genoa but was injured again in the second half and left the field. Fortunately, this injury wasn't serious, and Pato managed to play in AC Milan's home finale against Juventus.
In the second half of last season, Pato was injured four times, and he only participated in seven league matches. However, injuries did not stay away from Pato. During the summer preparation period, Pato got injured again. Before a friendly match against Panathinaikos, Pato sprained his right ankle while adapting to the field. Subsequently, the Brazilian missed this friendly match. Unexpectedly, just half a month later, Pato's right ankle had issues again. During a routine training session on the afternoon of the 17th, Pato sprained his right ankle and left the field early. As a result, Pato missed the Berlusconi Cup five days later. These two consecutive injuries affected Pato's summer preparation.