AC Milan celebrate freshman Pato and veteran Ronaldo

Young Brazilian star Alexandre Pato scored the final goal as the Devils hammered Napoli 5-2. Pato vied for glory with his compatriots Ronaldo and Kaka, both also on target with two and one goal, respectively, at the Giuseppe Meazza.

 Monday's headlines were all for Ka-Pa-Ro, or "the trio of marvels," as Milan president Silvio Berlusconi dubbed his attack package.

 Before the success, which ended a shameful winless run at home this season, Milan fans admired on the pitch the club's 18 international trophies, including the Club World Cup won in December, and heard good news for the future from their president.

 Berlusconi announced as virtually certain the transfer next summer of international defender Gianluca Zambrotta from Barcelona and kept fuelling rumours of Ronaldinho's arrival from the same Spanish club.

 "It remains a dream, but I have already (before Christmas) launched the idea of a fund-raising," Berlusconi said. "Since I have given so many trophies to the fans, they could give me Ronaldinho as a gift."

   The idea sounded like a joke, being expressed by a media mogul turned politician who is considered Italy's richest man.

 Fans no doubt dream of a further Brazilian star joining one of the world's top clubs, but coach Carlo Ancelotti Monday disappointed them in an interview at Radio 1.

 "Ronaldinho won't arrive because the club has invested on this young player (Pato), who has great possibilities," he said. "He is very mature for his age (18), calm and light-hearted.

 "Now we expect a lot from Ronaldo, who did a lot although he is playing at his 50 per cent."

   Beside Pato's shining debut, the day marked the return of Ronaldo, 31, from a long injury layoff. And the Phenomenon lived up to his fame scoring Milan's first and third goal after Napoli twice managed to level.

 The next weeks will tell if Milan are truly out of a strange situation that saw them do well in the Champions League, where they are to tackle Arsenal in the knock-out round of 16, while playing disappointingly in the Serie A.

 With the league nearing its half-way mark, their hopes for the Serie A title are buried as they lie 25 points behind leaders Inter Milan, but with three games in hand.

 Securing one of the four berths for the next Champions League will also be tough, with a first crucial test set for next weekend at Udinese, currently fourth and 11 points ahead of the Devils.

 Curiously, Milan boast a 4-1-2 record in away games, compared to 1-5-2 at home, which confirms that football is often a very mysterious affair.

DPA