Adriano

[Heero Yuy]

Those old enough to remember when yo-yos were cool, Princess Diana wore a seat belt and Newcastle United were actually the second best team in England (but still, for the record, never actually won anything) may also remember a man by the name of Jardel.He was and remains one of the most prolific strikers in modern history. For ten years, he was incredible. For around five, he was beyond Cristiano Ronaldo last season. His most prolific spells may 'only' have been in Portugal; but these were not some Dirk Kuyt or Mario Gomez goalscoring ratios. These weren't even Ruud van Nistelrooy or Gerd Muller goalscoring ratios. They were better.Jardel was the highest goalscorer in Europe for three consecutive years and yet he's not even as big a name as Gareth Southgate. He had two afflictions: one being that he was Brazilian, and this meant his competition at international level consisted of Ronaldo and Romario, among others, and the other being a fragile mental state, perhaps brought about by a string of unfortunate circumstances in his personal life.He was controversially left out of the national squad for the 2002 World Cup, which Brazil would go on to win, and from there began his fitness woes and journeyman decline. He has represented 10 clubs in the last six years, doing very little for any of them, yet is still playing for Ferroviario in Brazil.If any of this isn't sounding familiar by now, you should probably stop reading.Now I turn to those of you old enough to remember when Real Madrid's Galacticos era began to go spectacularly wrong, Chelsea were without Roman Abramovich and better suited to the UEFA Cup and somewhere along the line, Digimon replaced Pokemon as the most annoying money-making childrens' franchise on the planet. Yes, we're looking even more recently now, to a time when Adriano was feared and revered as a man who would dominate world football.Inter scooped him up from Flamengo, farmed him out to Fiorentina and then to Parma, where he truly began to hit the heights before making his return to Milano. He was unstoppable. Everything was either going to go in off his head or his left foot - everybody knew it - but there was nothing anybody could do to stop him.He hit almost 30 goals in 2004-05; perhaps not in the Jardel realms of supremacy, but this is where playing in the most defensively impressive league in the world did perhaps work against him. Unlike Jardel, Adri was at least fortunate enough to break into the national team - and in some style.He scored as many goals as Ronaldo ate cupcakes, blasting Brazil to Confederations Cup glory in 2005 looking the world's best striker almost without question at the time. His record for the Selecao to date, his slump and all, is 31 goals in 51 games - imagine what could have been?It was the 2006 World Cup that was to signal the beginning of his end, just as it did for Ronaldo and even, as many may argue, Ronaldinho. Adriano's father, to whom he had been very close, died before the tournament, and a hapless tactical showing from Brazil coach Carlos Alberto in Germany sought to benefit nobody except perhaps Ronaldo, who broke the all-time World Cup goalscoring record before Brazil crashed out in the quarter-finals to France.Adriano had already gone off the rails. From being a potential target for Abramovich at Chelsea and Perez at Real Madrid he now couldn't even seal a deal with Manchester City. And this was before the Sheikhs.The 2006-07 season was his only unmitigated flop on paper. The others were passable - including a fairly successful loan back to Brazil with Sao Paulo last season - but ultimately, this was a man not looking like he could cut it at the highest of high levels anymore. All thoughts of professionalism were drowned in his mini-fortune and the luxurious lifestyle it had granted him. It was just so much easier to drink and party than train and play professional football.Jose Mourinho taking over at Inter almost seemed perfect. The antithesis of Roberto Mancini and a man who can bring out the best in the ferocious as well as the fragile. Adriano would be his new Drogba.But now finally, for those of you old enough to remember when Argentina were massacred in La Paz by Bolivia, Manchester United lost to Fulham and I wrote one of the most blatant April Fools' jokes of all time. Yes, even a zygote should remember this, as it was last week. Adriano went missing. Again.He neglected to return home from international duty on time and not even his agent knew of his whereabouts. Compatriot and Milan rival Kaka even said he fears for the big man's footballing future. Jose Mourinho played his hand well to the press, saying he was not angry, but concerned about his striker - but who was he kidding? Really? He has tried to embrace the Brazilian as best he can, but it's just not a fit anymore.This has to be the final straw. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic having rightly had demigod status bestowed upon him in the Nerazzurri half of San Siro, Adriano will never be the Emperor he could and should have been at the club. Even tactically, his continued appearance in the side has to an extent limited how they could play. Two big men up top has its advantages, but certainly not in a side with as little wide presence as Inter. Adri has had his moments, but is ultimately hindering Ibra, and vice-versa. Both would gain from a new tactical system, but only one can find a new club in which to do so.Mario Balotelli is ready and waiting, and if his attitude is not to Jose's liking, the 'Special One' could possibly have his pick of David Villa, Sergio Aguero, Giuseppe Rossi or even Samuel Eto'o this summer. Massimo Moratti is unlikely to stop at anything to give his coach everything he wants, and the Portuguese made it clear after being outclassed by Manchester United in the Champions League that change would be needed this summer.And then there is Adri. What he will make of his career, as the old cliche goes, remains a mystery. He could go the Jardel route and fade into journeyman obscurity in the lower levels of the game. He may emulate Ronaldinho and start afresh elsewhere, but still a shadow of his former self - and that's if any big gun is willing to take a chance on him, which remains highly unlikely. The best he could hope for is to follow similar footsteps to Ronaldo: to continue raking in the goals, even if in slightly less awe-inspiring fashion than before and at the cost of a shortened career - because one thing remains for sure: he will never be the same again.

I do really feel sorry for him, hes not right and he hasn't look the same for two/three seasons. I do genuine believe his dads death has played a massive part in his downfall. Especially when I see the interactions Between Ad and Mou almost like its a father, son thing. Which is why i think Mou is so reluctant to sell him because he knows mentally hes fragile and looks at him, maybe he thinks hes the only one who can get him through this - i dunno, but anyway sad man.. dunno whats with the brazilians and there fall from graces

[FANTA]

he doesn't live too far from my dads place.sad to see how he has turnt out.

[Mr. No Good]

it is sad to see adriano like thiswasted talent although i never thought he wos that good anyway

[Trim]

never heard much about the whole his girl leaving him thing, whenever talking about what happened to him it was the talk of his fathers death that dominated the conversation. and yh it is sad to see, had the attributes to be an amazing player. Hopefully he either finds a new club or mourinho manages to do something to benefit his career. How old is he now 27 ? Would be good to see him find success in some shape or form before its too late and he just fades completely.

[Avon Barksdale]

Its the people around him who are to blameFrom the slums of Brazil being broke to millions of pounds in ItalyWas never going to have a happy ending

[TF S4DK]

Its a mixture of his fathers death, his ex-girl, people around him, his own insecurities and demons, etc.TBH at 27, he needs to man up & keep it moving, live f*ck*ng life you got a job that a lot of man envy you for, let alone the money you get paid to do that job...

[HangTheDJ]

theres a lot more to football than just technique

[Trim]

Its a mixture of his fathers death, his ex-girl, people around him, his own insecurities and demons, etc.TBH at 27, he needs to man up & keep it moving, live f*ck*ng life you got a job that a lot of man envy you for, let alone the money you get paid to do that job...

i can see what you mean but there was talk of him being close to suicide, that could easily be people exaggerating but he seems like he's pretty far gone to just be able to just shake it off like that, what you said is true he's got a job millions would love to have and the amount he's earning too, stuff dreams are made of but he seems to be in a very bad place.

[Mephisto]

Aint he missing at the moment? (presumed kidnapped)

[Duzza]

and i recon more of these brazilian lads are gna end up like robinho and adriano party lifestyle > being a legend i dnt blame em tho... mite as well enjoy it whilst they r youngstil tho its mad how some of thes eguys have wasted their shockin potential and talent when england doesnt have players who can lace their boots... dunno how brazil keeps churning them out

lol when you look at the size of brasil, combined with their deep love for footy it makes sense how they keep churning out good players.. thats a big f*ck*ng country lol

[Captain Planet]

Another sporting casualty.I honestly miss late 90's/early 2000's footballers.Man were serious back then (to my recollection).

[MEIRELES.]

Good read.A shame really.. Hopefully Adriano returns thoJardel was so underrated.. The way he killed it for Porto 125 games 130 goals SNM Killed it for other clubs as well

[Heero Yuy]

Aint he missing at the moment? (presumed kidnapped)

Nah hes in Rio with his family and friends, was reported yesterday

[Taurus]

Was my one of my favourite strikersSad to see him like this

[Black.]

The two in recent years have gone hand in hand. In PES Adriano has always been a goal scoring machine, even in the most recent versions despite his fall from grace. But the two go hand-in-hand more obviously these days, with both parties struggling to recapture ‘form’ of days gone by. We take a deeper look at the connections, and see if Adriano and the PES series are indeed two of a kind.The picture in the header is a model of Adriano, created by the Fanatico brand. Standing at 9 inches and made of resin, it dwarfs my other footy models by size and weight. Standing at the end of a row of fellow superstars on my shelve, the model is imposing and in many way represents itself as a King. And a King is what Adriano certainly was back in those days, being quite possibly the worlds best striker at that time. The model by Fanatico shows ‘The Emperor’ at his all time best - dribbling and terrorising defenses with power and grace. The kit he’s wearing also gives away the time scale at when this figure was created. It was Inter’s 05/06 home shirt, and probably was the peak in Adriano’s career before the gradual decline.Link this to the PES series, and the picture isn’t too dissimilar. Back in 05/06 many were enjoying the gaming delights of PES 5 and WE 10, and to many those heights haven’t been reached since. Through these releases, and even since, Adriano was one of the most prolific and incredibly difficult players to play against. His incredibly powerful shots, coupled with decent accuracy and superhuman stability made him unplayble. He quickly became known as a cheat player, with Inter also becoming a team that was frustrating to play against.But criticisms about how gameplay was flawed in certain areas aside, it was a period where in a sense no one could touch Adriano, and no one could get near the PES series. The cover of PES 6 certainly pays homage to the brazilian striker, placing him as the primary cover star. It was a high point for all concerned, and a time that many hope Konami will again reach.Who knows, the story of PES and Adriano could come full circle this year. With a positive outlook by all regarding the future of PES (it can only get better), there seems to be a decent feeling the king will indeed return. As for Adriano himself, its probably more unclear. A recent return to form has been marred by yet another late flight back from his native Brazil. In recent weeks he’s been gradually getting back to his best, time will tell if the ‘real’ Adriano returns.I’m sure Inter and PES fans more than most hope that the quality of the two increases dramatically this year. We’ll all know soon enough.http://winningelevenblog.com/blog/retrospe...the-pes-series/

[UN.Muzik]

Good read.A shame really.. Hopefully Adriano returns thoJardel was so underrated.. The way he killed it for Porto 125 games 130 goals SNM Killed it for other clubs as well

How the f*ck did man score 42 goals in 30 appearances in his 1st season for Sporting?!?

[Flojo]

The two in recent years have gone hand in hand. In PES Adriano has always been a goal scoring machine, even in the most recent versions despite his fall from grace. But the two go hand-in-hand more obviously these days, with both parties struggling to recapture ‘form’ of days gone by. We take a deeper look at the connections, and see if Adriano and the PES series are indeed two of a kind.The picture in the header is a model of Adriano, created by the Fanatico brand. Standing at 9 inches and made of resin, it dwarfs my other footy models by size and weight. Standing at the end of a row of fellow superstars on my shelve, the model is imposing and in many way represents itself as a King. And a King is what Adriano certainly was back in those days, being quite possibly the worlds best striker at that time. The model by Fanatico shows ‘The Emperor’ at his all time best - dribbling and terrorising defenses with power and grace. The kit he’s wearing also gives away the time scale at when this figure was created. It was Inter’s 05/06 home shirt, and probably was the peak in Adriano’s career before the gradual decline.Link this to the PES series, and the picture isn’t too dissimilar. Back in 05/06 many were enjoying the gaming delights of PES 5 and WE 10, and to many those heights haven’t been reached since. Through these releases, and even since, Adriano was one of the most prolific and incredibly difficult players to play against. His incredibly powerful shots, coupled with decent accuracy and superhuman stability made him unplayble. He quickly became known as a cheat player, with Inter also becoming a team that was frustrating to play against.But criticisms about how gameplay was flawed in certain areas aside, it was a period where in a sense no one could touch Adriano, and no one could get near the PES series. The cover of PES 6 certainly pays homage to the brazilian striker, placing him as the primary cover star. It was a high point for all concerned, and a time that many hope Konami will again reach.Who knows, the story of PES and Adriano could come full circle this year. With a positive outlook by all regarding the future of PES (it can only get better), there seems to be a decent feeling the king will indeed return. As for Adriano himself, its probably more unclear. A recent return to form has been marred by yet another late flight back from his native Brazil. In recent weeks he’s been gradually getting back to his best, time will tell if the ‘real’ Adriano returns.I’m sure Inter and PES fans more than most hope that the quality of the two increases dramatically this year. We’ll all know soon enough.http://winningelevenblog.com/blog/retrospe...the-pes-series/

lol uncanny similarities between the two.

[TF S4DK]

Its a mixture of his fathers death, his ex-girl, people around him, his own insecurities and demons, etc.TBH at 27, he needs to man up & keep it moving, live f*ck*ng life you got a job that a lot of man envy you for, let alone the money you get paid to do that job...

i can see what you mean but there was talk of him being close to suicide, that could easily be people exaggerating but he seems like he's pretty far gone to just be able to just shake it off like that, what you said is true he's got a job millions would love to have and the amount he's earning too, stuff dreams are made of but he seems to be in a very bad place.

I'm not saying its easy but there comes a point when as a individual you have to do you, and make decisions just for you.So whatever is keeping him in a bad personal space he has to get out of his life be it football, Milan, agents, hangers on, dealing with the public, grief, etc...

[Black.]

Hes 27 ?

[The Somalian]

sounds like newcastle should sign him fits perfectly into that team

[TF S4DK]

They'd make him jump off the Tyne Bridge.

[The Somalian]

No way Jose, as a weepy Adriano slums it in Rio with his friendsEmail Printer friendly version Normal font Large font Dan SilkstoneApril 9, 2009AdvertisementTHERE are many aphorisms that hold true in the world of elite sport. One of them is that - Lindsay Lohan aside - nobody self-destructs quite so spectacularly as a Brazilian striker.Whether it's an overweight Ronaldo caught with a transvestite prostitute or Edmundo "The Animal" slated by animal rights groups for hiring an entire circus to perform in his back garden (and allegedly getting the chimpanzees drunk on whisky). Things have a way of getting weird and staying that way.Which brings us to Adriano, the Rio-born marksman who earns a fortune hitting the back of the net for Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan. That storied club got something of a surprise last week when it dutifully dispatched its star striker back to Brazil for a World Cup qualifier against Peru.Problem being, he didn't come back. Not on Friday, and not on Saturday, either. In fact, as of last night, still not by the following Wednesday. Nobody quite knew where he was, and that was when the stories started to surface.Adriano had been kidnapped, Brazilian media initially reported - a claim based on nobody-knew-exactly-what. No way, huffed the cops: "He is an idol in the community where he grew up and he would be the last person to be a target of kidnapping."The next story was that Adriano had been arrested. Again, not so, said his agent. He was dead, reported one Brazilian newspaper. Very hurtful and untrue, said his mum, who did not know where he was either.In fact, the player's agent then offered, his multi-millionaire client had suffered a "delicate personal moment" and was hiding out in a Rio ghetto with some old friends. This was Slum-dog Millionaire without the feelgood vibes. This was territory not covered in any known episode of Footballers' Wives.Up stepped Brazilian tabloid newspaper Extra reporting that Adriano had been spotted at a party hosted by a local drug dealer "with two pistols in his belt, smoking marijuana and drinking relentlessly. He cried, complained about fame and said 'money isn't everything'."It was quickly denied. As days dragged into other days, his club got increasingly frantic. The message for Mourinho was clear: "He's just not that Inter you."Adriano's mother came forward again: he was heartbroken after a recent break-up with his girlfriend. Said girlfriend, Joana Machado, poured out her heart to yet another Brazilian paper, confirming her ex-squeeze was slumming it in the ghetto and adding further to the sheer weight of absurdist poetry written about the affair."It's in Vila Cruzeiro that Adriano feels comfortable," she said. "He likes to fly kites, walk in barefeet. There he doesn't play the role of The Emperor."The man has previously fled from Milan, returned to Brazil to play for Sao Paulo and then walked out. He has battled weight issues, booze issues and headbutting-an-opponent-during-a-game issues. He is considered so flaky and brittle that Chelsea is rumoured to be considering swapping him for Didier Drogba. On his day, Adriano can seriously play. First, though, somebody has to find him.

[Gunner]

Needs to join a team that pushes for champions league but isnt expected to get there.ieEngland = Tottenham, Aston Villa, Everton, Man CitySpain = Atletico, Sevilla, Villarreal, ValenciaItaly = Lazio, Fiorentina, You get my drift.Where the pressure isnt to much, and he can enjoy football again. I say he should find new surrundings and leave Italy. Come to England. No hot weather, the girls are crap, unless he likes white girls, and we love our football. He will get his space in England as alot of players that play in Italy+ Spain say that compared to England the fans respect you better and are not so ''hands on''There is already a Brazillian continegent in England so man can socailise and get help. He can bully defenders. He will have to get fit as ther will be no excuse in being overweight as you just can't be in England the game is 2 fast. When he does something good the fans will love him, when he doesn't the fans won't get on his back to the estent that they would in Italy/Spain.Just a matter of finding him a club/manager to take him and him being willing.Would need a manager who excells in man/people management. Ftaher figure esk. Or go back Home to Brazil, where he knows they will love him and he can fall back in love with the game, in his homeland.

[HangTheDJ]

we don't need him, we have the second best number 10 in the league