On 17 February, Adriano celebrated his 40th birthday, but his illustrious football career has long since become a distant memory.
In Adriano's most brilliant period, many people believe that as the strongest player in the world, it is not a dream for brazilians to play until the age of 40. However, the last time he played was six years ago, and the last time he scored in the league was a decade ago.
Like his rise, Adriano's fall was extremely rapid. However, his career is by no means just boring numbers or unstoppable shots in a goal collection.
From outcasts to kings
Adriano's career has been uneven, and he even faces the possibility of dying. When he was almost terminated by Flamenco, a decision made by the youth coach changed his fate.
The coach decided to switch Adriano, who had been playing as a left-back, to play as a centre-forward, and he was given a second chance to prove himself, and he did not waste this opportunity.
In a 2021 interview, Adriano recalled, "At that time, I knew it would determine my future. When they pushed me up front, I knew it was the last chance I got. What did I do? Man, I'm going to fight! I go and fight with everyone who stands in my way! ”
Once he started desperately, the goal followed.
In his first season with Flamengo, Adriano scored 11 goals, which led him to be recruited to the Brazilian national team at the age of 18 before being targeted by European giants.
Desperate, it became a portrayal of the early days of Adriano's career. Even with 10 minutes of playing time, Adriano will be as desperate as his last appearance.
In 2001, during the warm-up match against Real Madrid, Adriano made his Inter debut.
The Brazilian later recalled, "I shouldn't even have been called into the list." However, there were too many injuries on the team, and Cooper took me with him. Actually, I knew at the time that I would soon be on loan. ”
"When I was sent on the pitch, I knew I only had 10 minutes for people to see who I was and what I was capable of."
At that time, the Nerazzurri squad was at its peak, with top strikers such as Vieri, Ronaldo and Cuarón, and despite their outstanding performance against Real Madrid and the fact that they scored a free kick of 170 km/h through the Real Madrid goal, Adriano could not stay at Inter.
However, Adriano is ready to return to Inter. In 2004, after playing for Fiorentina and Parma, Adriano returned to Meazza, at which point Cooper and Ronaldo had already left Inter.
Zaccheroni, who was Inter manager at the time, recalled, "Adriano and Ronaldo are players with different personalities. But as long as I'm at Inter, I'll try to help Adriano get stronger. ”
"I've always been bullish on him, and even though I haven't been his coach yet, I've always said good things about him. You can read the newspapers of the time, and I've always been very clear about how brilliant Adriano would be. ”
In the two and a half years that followed, the "king" even exceeded Zaccheroni's expectations. He scored 59 goals and averaged 0.5 goals per game, which immediately attracted the attention of european giants.
It is worth emphasizing that as one of the best players in the history of pro evolution football, Adriano's shooting power has reached an unprecedented 99 points.
From King to "Drunkard"
At the peak of Adriano's career, the tragic death of his father led to his rapid fall. Although things were more complicated, the accident dealt a very heavy blow to Adriano. After his most amazing season, a phone call from Brazil put him on the road to destruction.
Adriano later recalled, "I really didn't want to talk about it, but I will tell you that after that day my love of football has never changed. ”
"He likes to watch games, so I like to play games. It's that simple. This is my destiny. When I play football, I play football for my family. When I scored, I scored for my family. So, when my father died, football was no longer the same. ”
"Honestly, even though I scored a lot of goals in Serie A and even though the fans really loved me, my joy was gone. That's my dad, you know? I can't just toggle the switch and rediscover myself. ”
Drinking alcohol became the only way for Adriano to get rid of his sadness.
He recalls, "I only feel happy when I'm drinking, and I do that every night." I would drink all the wineS I got: wine, whiskey, vodka, beer, and I drank a lot of beer. ”
The last effort and struggle
On the departure of Inter, Eriksen's Manchester City are interested in signing Adriano. For him, however, returning to Brazil was the only option. Adriano later recalled that making such a choice made him "give up millions of dollars."
After returning to Brazil, Adriano was back in form. However, a string of questions off the pitch continued to accompany him.
During his time at São Paulo and Flamengo, Adriano regained his shooting boots again, and even won the Golden Boot in 2009. You know, he never even got the Serie A Golden Boot.
However, after missing out on the 2010 World Cup squad, the end of Adriano's peak period was a foregone conclusion. In 2011, Adriano suffered an Achilles tendon injury and was absent for six months, and since then he has never been able to recover to his best.
Five years later, while playing for Miami United, Adriano scored the last goal of his career, which was a shame. He should have bullied the top defender in the top league, not scored a meaningless goal in front of a handful of fans and with no one watching.
Even if the fans will always find new idols, new heroes, they will still be excited about that unstoppable Adriano.