February 17 – Happy Birthday Adriano

OVER the last couple of days we’ve brought you stories of the on-and off-the-pitch antics of two of English footballs wild boys so we thought we’d make it a hat-trick by wishing happy birthday to troubled Brazilian Striker Adriano, who was born today in 1982.

A few years ago Brazil was starting to worry about their dwindling options up front, as Romario was reaching the end of his international career and Ronaldo was laid up with gammy knees and starting to look a little rotund (some things never change, eh?). They needn’t have worried though, as the Brazilian conveyer-belt of talent kept on rolling and when the 1999 FIFA Under-17 World Cup rolled around it was time to give another youngster the ‘next Pele’ tag that has ruined many a career.

The youth in case this time was none other that Adriano Leite Ribeiro, a big, powerful, classy forward who was in the Flamengo youth squad and ripped though the tournament in New Zealand. Adriano grew up in one of Rio de Janeiro’s grittiest favelas, which anyone who has seen the film City of God will be able to tell you was no piece of cake. His father had to live most of his life with a bullet lodged in his head and Adriano’s background would play a big part in the crises he would later face.

Like all good young Brazilian talent, a move to one of Europe’s big clubs was always on the cards and Adriano would move to Internazionale in 2001. After spells on loan at Fiorentina and Parma, where him and Adrian Mutu would form a formidable, head-line grabbing partnership, he returned to the San Siro and by 2004 he was fulfilling his promise and looked like one of the best players in the world. No less than 40 goals for club and country in the 2004/05 season earned him massive plaudits and he was tipped to join the pantheon of Brazilian greats.

But, here comes the rub. It appeared that despite all the success on the field and riches that a boy from the favela could only dream of, all was not right in Adriano’s head. The death of his father plunged him into an existential crisis, as he started to feel mentally and physically drained and isolated in Milan. Like many young South Americans, moving to a foreign country at an early age had a massive effect on Adriano and he simply couldn’t cope. He could not feel at home, and his sleepless nights were stopped only by excessive drinking. He would go completely off the rails, partying, boozing as he piled on the pounds and became useless on the pitch.

In 2006 he admitted that he was an alcoholic and Inter allowed him to return to Brazil on unpaid leave to sort his head out. Perhaps this wasn’t the greatest way to shake the homesick problem, as he returned to Milan and was still fat and useless, scoring only five goals last season. It now looks as though he’s in last-chance saloon. He joined Sao Paulo on loan in the January transfer window, and fans have already seen both sides of his character. Before the season started he was involved in a car crash in Rio (in which Sao Paulo were almost too quick to point out he wasn’t drinking), but soon got down to business, scoring five goals in his first eight appearances as he spearheaded the Tricolor Paulista’s Copa Libertadores assault. However, last week saw him getting sent off for headbutting an opponent and he is currently awaiting his suspension.

We hope the big man enjoys his birthday, but not too much though. Check out what he’s capable of below and head over here tomorrow for more stories from back in the day.