Adriano Leite Ribeiro
Adriano Leite Ribeiro, commonly known simply as Adriano, is a Brazilian former professional footballer. A powerful striker known for his long range left footed strikes, Adriano’s career was however marked by inconsistency. One of the best strikers in the world in the mid 2000s, he had five prolific seasons in Italy with Parma and Inter Milan, earning the nickname L’Imperatore (the Emperor), before a decline in his performances which coincided with the death of his father. Adriano won four Scudetti for Inter Milan, and after moving back to his native Brazil he won two Brasileirão for Flamengo and Corinthians. Making his Brazil debut at 18, Adriano was considered the long-term successor to Ronaldo. In the absence of Ronaldo he led Brazil to the 2004 Copa América, receiving the Golden Boot as the competition’s leading scorer with seven goals. He also won the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup with Brazil, receiving the Golden Boot Award as the competition’s leading scorer with five goals. Prior to the 2006 World Cup he was part of Brazil’s much-vaunted “magic quartet” of offensive players alongside Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Kaká, which ultimately wasn’t successful at the finals.
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IN THE 2002-2003 Parma Associazione Calcio regained its respect following a lacklustre Serie A and Champions League performance the year before. Under new coach Cesare Prandelli, Parma played an offensive 4–3–3 formation, in which new offensive signings Adrian Mutu and Adriano starred. Both made up for the departure of Marco Di Vaio to Juventus. Mutu scored 18 goals from the left wing, and Parma accepted a multimillion-pound offer from Chelsea in the summer, which meant the Romanian international only spent a year at the club. Adriano was loaned to Fiorentina for the 2001–02 season, after which a two-year co-ownership deal with Parma was agreed, for €8.8 million, in order to acquire Fabio Cannavaro which also included another half of Matteo Ferrari for €5.7 million He formed an impressive striking duo with Adrian Mutu, scoring 23 goals in 36 appearances.
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This season the team played with a special “90” badge on sleeve celebrating the 90th Parma’s anniversary.
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Adriano made his first international appearance for Brazil in a World Cup qualifier against Colombia on November 15, 2000 at the age of 18. He was often considered as the long-term successor to Ronaldo. He scored his first international goal on June 11, 2003 in a friendly match against Nigeria. Later that month, he was included in Brazil team for 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. He led Brazil’s attack alongside Ronaldinho in the absence of Ronaldo. He appeared in all three matches and scored two goals as Brazil was eliminated in the group stage. He missed the 2004 CONMEBOL Men Pre-Olympic Tournament due to injuries. The following year, he was included in Brazil team for Copa América 2004. Brazil won the cup and Adriano won the Golden Boot as the competition’s leading scorer with seven goals. In the final match against Argentina, Adriano dramatically scored the equalizer in the 93rd minute. The match went on to penalties and Brazil finally won 4–2. After the match, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira singled out Adriano as a very important factor in winning the title. In 2005, Adriano once again had an impressive tournament with Brazil, this time in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. Adriano was named Player of the Tournament and received the Golden Boot Award as the competition’s leading scorer with five goals. In the final, he steered Brazil to victory, scoring two goals in a 4–1 victory over Argentina. Adriano was called up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, scoring his first goal on June 18, 2006 in a 2–0 win against Australia and his second in a 3–0 victory against Ghana. Despite his two goals, Adriano’s World Cup campaign was considered a disappointment, as he managed only five shots all tournament, while Brazil as a whole were unable to find the right mix between defence and attack, ultimately being eliminated in the quarter-finals by France.
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This wrist band was worn by Adriano during his 150th appearance with F.C.Internazionale on February 11th 2007. Following the signing of the new deal, Adriano’s future at Inter suffered due to poor performances, fueled by questions and speculation regarding his work ethic, which was called into question when he was twice caught partying at nightclubs during the 2006–07 campaign. Brazilian coach Dunga did not call Adriano up for a friendly against Ecuador on October 10, 2006, and called for him to “change his behavior” and “focus on football”. On February 18, 2007, Adriano skipped a team practice due to effects from a lengthy celebration of his birthday the night before, which led to Inter manager Roberto Mancini benching him for the team’s Champions League match against Valencia and subsequent Serie A fixture against Catania.
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This shirt was worn by Adriano during the second half of the pre season friendly game between Internazionale and Bari which took place in Riscone di Brunico on July 27th 2008. Inter defeated Bari 2-0. Adriano swapped the shirt with a Bari’s player who we got the shirt from. The particularity of this shirt is that Adriano was the only player who played with a fan replica’s shirt instead of the player version as all the other players wore. The reason was that Adriano size was XXL and the team’s supplier Nike didn’t supply any XXL size for pre season games so he used a replica shirt in size XXL. The shirt is perhaps very recognizable from game’s footage because the Scudetto badge on chest was not properly centered in the central blue shirt’s stripe.
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Adriano was a regular goalscorer in the early stages of the 2008–09 Serie A campaign, reaching a combined total of 100 domestic goals in the Italian Serie A and the Brazilian Série A. On 22 October 2008, Adriano scored the winner in a 1–0 win over Anorthosis Famagusta, and, with this goal, Adriano scored his 18th Champions League goal, and 70th for the club. In December, Inter Milan allowed him special dispensation to return to Brazil over the winter break earlier than planned. Inter confirmed on 4 April that Adriano had not returned from international duty with Brazil and had signed no contract with the club. On 24 April, Adriano finally rescinded his contract with Inter.
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Adriano was a well-rounded, versatile, and modern striker, who combined power with excellent technical ability; due to his dominance, power, and skill, he was given the nickname “l’Imperatore” (“The Emperor”) during his time in Italy. Adriano was a left-footed player, who was gifted with excellent ball control, skilful dribbling ability, and creativity. He was also a strong forward with an eye for goal, and a immensely powerful striker of the ball with his strong left foot, who was an accurate free-kick taker; he was also effective in the air. Despite his natural talent, Adriano’s consistency, character, fitness, and work-rate were often brought into question throughout his career, and due to his inconsistency in later years, he was widely known for failing to live up to his initial potential.
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Despite signing a two-year contract with Flamengo in June 2000, Adriano secured a move to Inter Milan for the 2001–02 season. Inter sold another half of Vampeta to PSG (ultimately to Flamengo from PSG for undisclosed fee) for €9.757 million in exchange for Adriano who was valued €13.189 million. Adriano scored his first goal in the international panorama with F.C. Internazionale during the friendly game against Real Madrid as a substitute, on August 14th 2001. A superb free kick that get the player noticed by all football lovers worldwide.