Orlando City SC forward Alexandre Pato underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure on his right knee, the club announced Tuesday. Pato suffered the injury on April 17 and is expected to miss another 3-6 weeks.
Pato exited his MLS debut with the injury in the 80th minute after landing awkwardly while avoiding a slide tackle from Atlanta United midfielder Franco Ibarra, which can be seen below.
Pato, 31, joined Orlando this winter after a stint with Sao Paulo. He began his professional career in Brazil with Internacional before establishing himself as one of the world's top young stars, breaking the record as the youngest goalscorer in a FIFA competition when tallying at the Club World Cup at the age of 17 and securing a move to AC Milan. Though he struggled with injuries, Pato made 117 appearances for the Serie A giants over the course of six seasons, scoring 51 goals. Capped 27 times by Brazil's national team, his career has also included stops at Chelsea and Villarreal, as well as China, where he racked up 30 goals in 47 appearances for Tianjin Tianhai. He also completed further stints back in Brazil, twice with Sao Paulo and once with Corinthians.
In his absence, Tesho Akindele has led the line for Orlando as they drew Sporting KC 1-1 then beat FC Cincinnati 3-0. Orlando host NYCFC on Saturday (6 pm ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes).
