Pato scores twice as Milan win at the Bernabéu for the first time

Kaká left AC Milan for Real Madrid in June 2009. He had joined Milan in 2003 and won the Champions League and the Ballon d'Or with them in 2007. Madrid had also signed Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso and Karim Benzema that summer. Milan, now coached by Leonardo, had started the season slowly and had just lost at home to FC Zürich.

On 21 October the two met at the Bernabéu in the Champions League group stage, Manuel Pellegrini's Madrid against a Milan side that included Ronaldinho. It was Kaká's first game against his old club.

A phone call on the bus

Before kick-off, Alexandre Pato later said, his phone rang on the team bus. It was Silvio Berlusconi, Milan's owner. "Listen, I'm asking you to play in a more central position," Berlusconi told him. "Don't worry, go to the centre, I'll tell you," he added. Pato passed the message on to Leonardo, who agreed: "play in the centre."

Dida, then Casillas

Madrid went ahead after 19 minutes, and Milan's goalkeeper gave it to them. Dida, as Sky Sports put it, "inexplicably dropped Esteban Granero's shot straight into Raul's path," and Raúl scored.

Just after the hour Milan turned it round in a few minutes. Andrea Pirlo carried the ball forward from about 40 yards and hit a dipping shot past Iker Casillas. Then it was Casillas's turn to err. He came out of his box to meet a long ball from Massimo Ambrosini, misjudged the bounce, and Pato scored.

Royston Drenthe brought Madrid level after a Raúl corner. With two minutes left Clarence Seedorf found Pato unmarked at the far post and he volleyed past Casillas. Milan had won 3–2.

Kaká, on the other side, made little difference. Sky's report called him "anonymous".

Afterwards

UEFA later called it "a memorable first win at Madrid". It left the two clubs level on six points at the top of the group. Madrid, for all the summer's spending, went out of the competition to Lyon.