Alex MacQuoid
Former Brazil Star Linked to League Two Club
Alexandre Pato—once a prodigy at AC Milan and a Brazil international—is part of a consortium exploring a takeover of Colchester United. The League Two side confirmed the 36-year-old attended their recent home game against Fleetwood Town as a guest of owner Robbie Cowling.
Sources close to the club suggest a deal is plausible, though no immediate announcement is expected. Talks with the US-based Lightwell Sports Group, led by Tom Foley, fell through in June 2023. The sale process restarted in September, but Cowling remains cautious about timelines.
“We’ve got some interested parties. We’re not interested in people unless they’ve got the wealth to take the club on much further than myself. There is no timescale—the line has to be that I hand it on to the right person. It’s a bit like you looking for someone to adopt your child; you’ve got to vet them.”
Pato’s career includes 27 caps for Brazil, where he scored 10 goals. He also represented his country at the 2012 London Olympics, earning silver after a final loss to Mexico at Wembley. A brief loan spell at Chelsea in 2016 yielded just two appearances, and he retired last year following a stint with São Paulo.
Colchester’s Strong Form Adds Appeal
The timing of the consortium’s interest aligns with Colchester’s resurgence under manager Danny Cowley. The club is unbeaten in six matches—winning the last three—and sits eighth in the table, three points shy of the play-off spots. A return to League One would mark their first promotion since 2016.
The takeover process is being managed by American consultant Mitchell B. Reiss on behalf of the club.