Alexandre Pato has paid tribute to the Corinthians supporters after scoring three minutes into his debut during the Timão’s 5-0 rout of Oeste.
The 23-year-old took to the field as a second-half substitute in place of Paolo Guerrero, who had already scored two, and found the net when he shot twice from the angle.
Pato is thrilled to have hit the ground running following his €15 million switch from AC Milan last month and has hailed the fans for helping him.
He said: “The whole team did great today. The first phase of my preparation is done. I know I still have to improve, but I’m really calm and I’m sure that lots of good things will happen along with the team and the fans.
“I’ve had good results in all of my first matches for a team, be it Internacional, Milan or the Brazil national team, and today was no different. I want to keep working and showing my value.
“I only think about playing football, in doing what I know to help the team. The fans screaming my name helped a lot. I only have to thank the fans.”
The Seleção star joined the Club World Cup winners following five injury-ravaged years at San Siro, and has been undertaking a special training program designed to nurture him back to full fitness.
