The Brazilian has been slowly making his way back to full fitness and the miss against the viola was a minor hiccup in his quest to rediscover that devastating form that made him such a prolific scorer at the club.

In an exclusive interview with Milan Channel, the striker opened up about the pain he felt after the miss and the disappointment in dropping other precious points at home.

"Well it wasn’t what everyone was expecting, the game against Fiorentina didn’t quite go to plan, we lost three points at home and now we have to turn our attention to Napoli. It was a very particular match and although I do think we are improving, we cannot throw away points so easily because these are important points and they will be at the end of the season.

"I am very sad about the penalty miss and the defeat in general. Missing a penalty in never nice but I am the designated penalty taker, I was there, when I am playing I take the penalties and I have no problem taking penalties. Unfortunately I missed."

The last few years have been plagued by injuries and finally it seems that Pato is on the right road to some regular playing time. Consistency is the key to regaininng the confidence he so desires.

"I have only just made my way back after a long time out with injury, then I met with my national team, I played at the Olympics and then played some friendlies and when I came back I picked up another injury. So I have been on the sidelines for a long time but I cannot say that I am really back. I am still on the road to full fitness. I am here at the club and I always have been, working away, working hard to try and get back into good shape. Now that I am playing and doing what really makes me happy but I will only get back to being 100% when things start to go well."

Many doubters have pointed the finger at the 23-year-old, claiming that he is scared to take responsibility and become a true leader but Pato was quick to dismiss such claims.

"To those who say that I am scared I can only say that they do not know me very well. The only time i have really been scared was when I was ten and I almost lost an arm. I can honestly say that I have never felt so calm. I am working well, I am at a great club with incredible fans and I just want to play."

Now the team must turn their attention to Napoli, a team going strong in third place behind Juventus and Inter. The San Paolo is never an easy place to claim three points but Pato knows what needs to be done and is keen to make up for his error against Fiorentina.

"We will try to be aggressive, we go there to try and win the match and fight until the very end. It will be a difficult match because playing in Naples is always tough. We have the team to win.

"If another opportunity comes up and I am on the pitch then I will step up to take the next penalty."