(ANSA) - Milan, March 29 - AC Milan's Brazil forward Alexandre Pato has confirmed he is dating Barbara Berlusconi, the daughter of club owner and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi. ''It's difficult for me to talk about this,'' the 21-year-old striker told the Italian edition of Vanity Fair when asked about speculation he was seeing the premier's eldest child from his second marriage. ''It's all at the beginning.
Maybe further down the line''. Barbara Berlusconi, 26, recently split with her companion of 10 years, JP Morgan associate Giorgio Valaguzza, with whom she has two children; while Pato last year separated from his wife, Brazilian soap star Sthefany Brito, after nine months together. Pato was reluctant to talk about his private life in the interview, in the edition of the magazine set to come out on Wednesday, but said he had regained happiness following the split with his wife. Before the breakup with Brito, Pato used to celebrate his goals by making a heart shape with his hand to show his love for her.
The confirmation of the relationship with the premier's daughter comes after Italian gossip magazines ran photos of the couple together. Pato said he was hopeful of recovering from an ankle sprain before leaders Milan's crunch derby against second-placed champions Inter Milan on Saturday. The injury is the latest in a series of fitness problems that, combined with stiff competition for starting places from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robinho and Antonio Cassano, have limited his playing time this season. photo: Alexandre Pato and Barbara Berlusconi snapped together.