Adriano agent 'fears for his life'

By Football Italia staff

Former Inter, Fiorentina and Roma striker Adriano is without a team and his former agent has said: “I fear for his life.”

L’Imperatore had the potential to become one of the best strikers in the world, but struggled with depression, injury, drinking and weight problems.

“I fear for his life,” his ex-agent Gilmar Rinaldi told Uol Esporte in Brazil.

“He needs a psychologist. I don’t care about his career as a player, I am simply worried about the man. He is suffering from serious depression and nobody is helping him.

“The death of his father, the problems with alcohol, the nights out and the ties he never quite broke off with the favelas he grew up in are not the real problems, but rather the consequences of this deep depression and the wrong way for him to face it.

“Adriano is like a son to me. Could he commit suicide? I don’t know, I just know that I am very worried and he needs to see a specialist.”

The 31-year-old forward has been without a team for over a year after short spells at Corinthians and Flamengo. He also failed a medical with Internacional.

“Ronaldo decided to take him to Corinthians despite the fact I was convinced it wasn’t wise to expose him to similar pressure.

“At the time both he and Corinthians promised me that Adriano would be looked after by a psychologist. Instead, they left him on his own. He’s alone.”

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