Adriano Leite Ribeiro, simply known as Adriano worldwide, is a Brazilian international footballer currently on loan from Italian giants Inter Milan to Brazilian powerhouse São Paulo. Adriano is rated as one of the most fearsome strikers in the world and has a very deft and lethal left foot.
Adriano came through the youth ranks at Brazilian superpower Flamengo and made his senior debut for the club in the 2000-2001 season. In the summer of 2001 he made a high profile move across the oceans to Italy and Inter Milan.
But after just one season in Milan, Adriano was loaned out. First he was offloaded to Fiorentina, also in the Italian Serie A, in 2002 and to Parma from 2002 to 2004. At the start of the 2004-2005 season, Adriano was recalled by Inter Milan and readily galloped into the starting xi.
| Born | 17 Feb 1982 |
| Nationality |
Brazil
|
| Nickname | The Steak |
| Team History | |
| Clube Atlético Paranaense | 2014 |
Corinthians
|
2011 - 2012 |
Flamengo
|
2012 |
AS Roma
|
2010 - 2011 |
|
Flamengo
|
2009 - 2010 |
Inter Milan
|
2004 - 2009 |
Sao Paulo Futebol Club
|
2008 (loan) |
Parma
|
2002 - 2004 |
Fiorentina
|
2002 (loan) |
|
Inter Milan
|
2001 - 2002 |
|
Flamengo
|
2000 - 2001 |
In his first two proper seasons at Inter Milan, Adriano developed into a force to be reckoned with and a goalscoring machine. His lethal left foot drove the life out of the opposition defenders but by the middle of the 2006-2007 season Adriano’s off pitch problems took their toll on him.
Unable to recover from the tragic death of his father and the equally devastating break-up with his girlfriend, Adriano went int depression and into the bottomless abyss of alcohol. So much so that his mother had to be shipped in form Brazil to Milan to take of Adriano.
Then in January 2008 Adriano was sent on a rehabilitation period to São Paulo on a six-month loan deal. He has since rediscovered his old self and is ready to return to Inter Milan.
Adriano made his debut for Brazil in 2000 and at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup was named Player of the Tournament and received the Golden Boot Award as the competition’s leading scorer with five goals. Adriano also played for Brazil in the 2006 World Cup finals.
