A phenomenon and a disaster rolled into one, the striker's career was a wild and emotional ride
Nicknamed 'The Emperor', Adriano was supposed to be the heir to Brazil legend Ronaldo's throne, especially when he followed in 'El Fenomeno's' footsteps by joining Serie A giants Inter. At one point, the Rio de Janeiro native looked like he was on his way to greatness, but for many reasons that crown became too heavy for the striker's head, and his spell in Europe descended into disaster.
He may have won two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia and a Supercoppa Italiana with Inter, league crowns with Flamengo and Corinthians and even the Copa America with Brazil, but by all accounts, Adriano did not live up to the great expectations placed on him.
Personal tragedy, struggles with alcohol and a series of unfortunate injuries contributed to the rapid and premature downfall of a forward once capable of staggering exploits on the field. After returning to his homeland, his career fizzled out with a bizarre stint in the United States, where he played just one game before retiring for good.
His career was a light that burned twice as bright but half as long as many others, and for those beautiful memories he blessed us with, he remains a beloved figure; one that streets will never forget.
Getty'New Ronaldo' emerges
Plucked from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Adriano came through the Flamengo youth academy. Initially signed as a left-back, it wasn't until his final year in the youth team that he was turned into a forward. By the time he made his debut for Flamengo, he was already well known in his homeland after helping Brazil Under-17s win the World Championship in 1999.
Two weeks before his 18th birthday, he made his first senior appearance for Flamengo, and his status as one of the nation's most promising talents was sealed later that year when he earned his first Brazil cap, coming off the bench in a World Cup qualifier against Colombia to play alongside Rivaldo, Lucio, Cafu and Juninho Pernambucano.
He went on to help Flamengo win consecutive Campeonato Carioca trophies in Rio, and although he was clearly a talented forward, there were hints of inconsistency that would later plague his career. The team's fans often grew frustrated with his clumsy style and often turned against him.
Regardless, Inter had seen enough to convince them he could be a star in Serie A and snapped Adriano up in August 2001. Days after joining, he made a substitute appearance in a friendly tournament against Real Madrid, where his technique and power were on display in a promising performance that culminated in a gorgeous goal, as he blasted a free-kick into the top corner with incredible speed.
Inter icon Javier Zanetti was stunned, later writing in his autobiography: "As soon as Adriano arrived at Inter, he scored a goal of impressive power in a friendly against Real Madrid. I thought to myself: 'This is going to be the new Ronaldo'. He has physique, talent, speed… I was close to Adriano, I knew the problems that money can generate for people who lived in poverty. It's the worst drug. But Adriano had a father who protected him and was a hero to him.”
AdvertisementGetty ImagesGlory and tragedy
Halfway into his first season at Inter, Adriano was sent on loan to Fiorentina, where he did an excellent job for a team doomed to relegation from Serie A, scoring six times in 15 matches. He then spent the following season at Parma, who he joined on a co-ownership deal, and he was magnificent yet again.
Then came the Copa America. Adriano had been a sporadic but exciting feature for the national team before then, but the first game of the 2004 tournament in Peru was the end of a year-long absence from the Selecao, and he returned with a bang. A hat-trick in the second game sealed a 4-1 win against Costa Rica, before he was then involved in all of Brazil's goals as they beat Mexico 4-1 to go through to the semi-finals.
It was Adriano who netted the equaliser to take the next game into extra-time and penalties against Uruguay, and he scored in the 6-4 shootout win. Sealing his place as a Brazil hero, he netted a stoppage-time equaliser in a 2-2 final draw against Argentina before then tucking away his effort in the resultant penalty shootout victory, bringing the trophy back home.
Adriano had one person to thank after that victory, telling the media: "This title belongs to my father. He is my great friend in life; my partner. Without him I am nothing." Only nine days later, his father died of a heart attack.
Zanetti tells the story from then: "At the beginning of one season (2004-05), the unimaginable happened: he received a call from Brazil and was told that his father had died. It's something that can change you forever. I saw him crying, threw the phone, started shouting that it wasn't possible. After that day, [Inter president Massimo] Moratti, the team and I decided to embrace him like a brother, to protect him.
"During this time, he continued playing, scoring goals and dedicating them to his father, pointing to the sky. We convinced him to bring his mother and girlfriend. He was still a rock in training, three of us couldn't move him because he was so strong. He's a great kid. I spent the night with Ivan Cordoba trying to encourage him. Ivan said: 'Don't you realise you're a mix of Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic? You have everything to become better than them'. But we failed, we couldn't get him out of his depression. Adriano cried, returned to Brazil without explanation, fought with his girlfriend, fell into homesickness.”
GettyThriving despite the depression
The loss of his father is largely seen as the catalyst for Adriano's decline, but that plummet was not immediate – at least on the field. Adriano was simply untouchable on his return to action with Inter. It was essentially thanks to him that they beat Basel in the Champions League qualifiers, and he followed that up by netting the equaliser in the Nerazzurri's opening Serie A game of the season against Chievo. Then came a double against Werder Bremen in the Champions League, another goal in a 1-1 draw against Palermo, and an 87th-minute winner against Atlanta, all in consecutive games.
"There are some goals I still can’t quite believe when I watch them back," he said years later. "I just can’t fathom them! I was in good form and I was trying things that were coming off for me. When your head is in the right place and you’re in good shape, incredible things can happen naturally."
It carried on like that, but Adriano wasn't just scoring for fun; his goals and occasional assists were vital. He masterminded a 3-1 win against Udinese, as he was directly involved in each of the goals, while his strikes ensured Inter picked up important draws in Serie A before he buried a hat-trick in a 3-1 Champions League last-16 second-leg win over Porto.
Adriano was simply awesome on the field, but the pain inside him was too much, and everyone close to him could see it as he turned to alcohol to heal his woes, later admitting he was turning up to training still drunk from the night before.
He reflected: "I only felt happy when I drank. I could only sleep if I drank. Roberto Mancini and my team-mates noticed that I was hungover when I arrived for training."
Even though the cracks appeared to show in the second half of the 2004-05 campaign, Adriano was able to put in a magnificent performance at the Confederations Cup in 2005, engineering a 3-2 semi-final win against Germany before blasting two past Argentina as Brazil won the final.
Even as the goals started to dry up a bit in the following season, he still showed glimpses of greatness – the opening day hat-trick against Treviso in Serie A, a double against Roma and another brace and assist in a 3-2 derby win over AC Milan.
GettyThe downfall
"When I was fit, it was hard to stop me," Adriano said. "If I wasn’t playing at my best and then suddenly turned in a top performance, [Marco] Materazzi would always say: ‘The Emperor is back!’"
Sadly for Adriano, those bursts of magnificence became increasingly rare after a while. Serie A teams eventually figured out how to stop him, exposing the real limits to his skill, but he was completely devastated emotionally, and was seemingly no longer up for the fight.
That devastation was not really known to the outside world, though, and when the 2006 World Cup came around, great expectations rested on Adriano's shoulders. He partnered Ronaldo up front for a Brazil team that also consisted of Ronaldinho, Kaka, Roberto Carlos, Lucio, Cafu, Gilberto Silva and Robinho. Adriano failed to impress, though, despite scoring twice in the competition, and Brazil were knocked out by losing finalists France in the quarter-finals.
'The Emperor's' demise continued on his return to Italy, and the once celebrated striker was soon mocked. His woeful performances earned him the Bidone d'Oro – the opposite of the Ballon d'Or in Italian media – in 2006, then again in 2007, and once more in 2010. He is the only player ever to have received the sarcastic accolade on more than one occasion.
"When I went through tough times, Inter always supported me. Having friends who didn’t just see me as a player, but also as a brother, was so important for me and I’m grateful to everyone," he recalled.
Eventually, it was decided Adriano should go back to Brazil in 2008, and Sao Paulo took him on loan for six months, where he amazed by scoring six goals in 10 Copa Libertadores matches. It was a contentious time, though, as he headbutted an opponent and was sent off, before then irritating the Brazilian club by turning up late to training.
Inter brought him back for the 2008-09 season and he showed glimpses of his old self again, but he was never the same and was out for long spells throughout the season.