The next Ronaldo, the future of Brazilian football, future Ballon D’or winner. All titles of a player destined for greatness. Surely, a player everyone past and present will know. However, with every great rise comes a fall, and few fell harder than Brazilian Adriano Leite Ribeiro, aka Adriano.

Making his senior debut for Flamengo at just the age of 17, he would go on to score in his second appearance for the club against Sao Paulo. While his time with Flamengo was brief, he managed an impressive 10 goals in 24 appearances as a teenager. He would go on to secure a move to Italian giants Intern Milan. He saw another brief stint as Inter loaned him to fellow Serie A club Fiorentina where he would make a total of 15 appearances, scoring 6 goals. However, he was still just 20 at the time and was competing for space in a talented Inter Milan squad who would eventually sell him on to Parma in the summer of 2002.

The Rise

A gifted athlete, Adriano was a handful for all defenders he came across. At 1.89m (6″2), he was an aerial threat as much as he was a physical force. When he joined Parma, it became clear they were going to make him the focal point of their attack despite his relatively young age and lack of consistent appearances.

The Brazilian would show his full range of skills that you’d normally see from Brazilians. He had great control, a sweet left-foot and was very creative on the ball. Furthermore, he was a set-piece specialist as he generated serious power that would usually leave goalkeepers clueless.

Adriano would go on to score 23 goals in 37 appearances for Parma and quickly became a sought after player throughout all of Europe. Despite interest from elsewhere, Adriano would end up re-signing with Inter Milan in January of 2004 on a four-and-a-half year contract for a transfer fee of €23.4 million. The young star would go on to make an immediate impact scoring 12 goals in the second half of the season. He would also start to carve out a larger role in the national side as fans and pundits alike viewed him as the heir to Ronaldo’s throne.

Adriano’s top form started in the summer of 2004 when he led Brazil to the Copa America title and was awarded the Golden Boot for the competition, having scored 7 goals and the vital equalizer against Argentina in the 93rd minute of the final. He would go on to score 28 goals in 42 games for Inter in the 2004-05 season, cementing himself as one of the most in-form strikers in the world and leading to the nickname L’Imperatore (the Emperor).

The Fall

In the 2004-05 season, Adriano would receive news that his father, the man who gave him so much growing up and allowed him the opportunity to play football and stay away from the favelas had passed away. While it’s not easy to lose any family member, Adriano would take this hit the hardest.

Despite finishing up a dominant season, Adriano was noticeably different on and off the pitch. Inter signed him to a 5-year contract extension in the following 2005 season, but his performances did not live up to the contract. His work ethic and professionalism dipped and there were heavy reports of him partying constantly in the seasons to come. Adriano was temporarily dropped from the senior side and eventually benched from Roberto Mancini’s Inter prior to a Champions League match due to skipping practice from his birthday celebrations.

In November of 2007, things would get worse as Adriano was placed on unpaid leave for what was the second time in just over a year. The Brazilian attended a training center in Brazil to focus on his physical condition and battle with alcoholism. His return to Milan wouldn’t come that year and he would see a loan spell to Sao Paulo where things got worse. Adriano was sent off for a headbutt and suspended for two matches followed up by showing late for training, leaving early and getting into constant altercations. He was ultimately sent back to Inter early. He would go on to have his contract rescinded the following season at Inter and his career would never be the same from there.

Adriano would constantly battle depression and alcoholism and his overall style of play was not the same. He was short-tempered and lacked dedication to keep playing. Adriano was quoted as saying “I only felt happy drinking, I drank everything in front of me: wine, whiskey, vodka, beer… I didn’t know how to hide it. I used to go to training drunk in the morning”. This tailspin would see him return to Flamengo for the 2009-10 season where he would only spend a season there until he would return to Italy once more as Roma came calling.

A Career Past By

Many thought that with his 3-year deal with Roma that Adriano may finally be able to restore his career. At just 28, there was still plenty of time for him to do so. However, it just wasn’t meant to be as Roma terminated his contract in March of 2011, just 7 months into his 3-year deal. While things were already bad, he managed to sign a one-year deal with Brazilian side Corinthians. Shortly into his tenure, he would rupture his achilles tendon, all but ending any chance he had of being an effective striker anymore.

Adriano would go on to sign for Flamengo, Atletico Parananese and Miami United in 2012, 2014 and 2016 respectively, only making one appearance in total. His drive for the game was totally and utterly gone and his partying habits only increased off the pitch. His career was over and many would point to the death of his father as being the turning point in his life and career.

In 2014, Adriano was facing drug trafficking charges that dated back to 2010, only for them to be dropped due to a lack of evidence.

What Could Have Been

At the peak of his powers, Adriano’s peak was limitless. He was such a graceful, powerful and lethal player who could have brought so much more success to his club and country alike. However, it was always said by his teammates and coaches that he was never the same person following his father’s death and his career clearly shows that. His final career statistics were 107 goals in 241 appearances, but you have to wonder what could have been for the talented Brazilian.