Alexandre Pato: We believe we can make history at Northampton
Alexandre Pato says it is ‘special’ to be part of the group that now owns Northampton Town, adding that he believes the club can ‘make history’ in the years to come.
The former Brazil, AC Milan and Chelsea striker is an investor in Sports Alpha Capital (SAC), the Brazilian-UK consortium that now owns a 70 per cent stake in the Cobblers.
In an interview with ESPN earlier this week, which you can find in full here, Pato revealed he played as Northampton on PlayStation when he was younger because he liked the badge.
“Now we have the club, the players, the opportunity to develop Northampton and to make history,” said Pato. “Let's see what we can do for the players, the town, the community. Having this club is special for us.
"I have heard from many of my former team-mates already. I was in Milan two weeks ago and everyone said this will not be easy! But I believe this club can make history. Let's see, it is a challenge, but I believe in our club and in our group and everyone here. This is just the start."
Co-chairman Joao Xavier, also speaking to ESPN, revealed the inspiration behind SAC’s desire to purchase a stake in Northampton, saying: "Welcome to Wrexham was a trigger for me to look into buying a club.
"Watching the show I had no idea of the power and the meaning for the people of clubs in the community. The Wrexham show was the trigger but it's not even close to reality. It's certainly an inspiration. But we cannot copy them."
Pato added: "I love what Wrexham have done for the community, they have done a very nice job. This is different, but we believe in ourselves that we can do something special in Northampton. They have their model and we have our own model."