NORTHAMPTON, England — Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva, the former Brazil striker known as Pato, is now on the board of League Two side Northampton Town, according to ESPN. The 37-year-old watched from the stands as the Cobblers beat Colchester United 2-0 to move out of the relegation zone, with supporters in yellow and green chanting his name.
Pato’s career began after a near-amputation at age 11 due to an aggressive tumour and a breakthrough at Internacional in 2006 that led to a €24 million move to AC Milan a year later, where he scored on his debut against Napoli and played alongside Ronaldo, Kaka, Clarence Seedorf, Paolo Maldini and Andrea Pirlo. Injuries affected his progress, but a 17-year playing career included spells at Corinthians, Villarreal, Chelsea on loan, Tianjin Tianhai in China, Orlando City in MLS and three separate periods at São Paulo. ESPN reports he finished with 145 league goals, scored 10 goals in 27 appearances for Brazil and won Olympic bronze in 2008 and silver in 2012 before retiring in 2023.
According to ESPN, Pato is the global face of Sports Alpha Capital after responding to an approach from a consortium of investors in Brazil and beyond. The group nearly purchased Colchester earlier in 2026 before turning its attention 120 miles northwest to Sixfields Stadium. The takeover was completed at the end of September and, ESPN says, left the club free of debt — a rarity in the English Football League.
Northampton occupies a unique place in English football history. The club is often remembered for George Best’s six-goal FA Cup performance in an 8-2 win in February 1970, when Best’s display prompted Northampton players to queue for his autograph. In the 1960s, under Dave Bowen, the Cobblers climbed from the old Fourth Division to the top flight in five seasons and even hosted Liverpool and Manchester United on a three-sided cricket ground in 1965-66, before returning to the bottom tier by 1970.
Sixfields holds 8,203 spectators and now has four complete stands after a decade of legal disputes that led to redevelopment of the East Stand. Pato told ESPN he used to select Northampton on PlayStation because he liked the badge and said ownership presents an opportunity to develop the club, its players and the local community.
