The sad tale of Adriano

As a youngster, Adriano was a player tipped for the top. The striker possessed all the necessary traits to really succeed as a player. Blessed with an unstoppable left foot, powerful yet elegant on the ball, the Brazilian had all the making to become a world beater.

Therefore, you can understand the disappointed of football fans to have seen the 30-year-old walk away from his contract with Flamengo, overweight, struggling with injuries and having failed to make an appearance during his third stint with the Brazilian side.

A promising youth career saw his best years between 2004 and 2006 and many felt it was the beginning of something special. However, the death of his father proved to be the beginning of a downward spiral for the burly striker.

Adriano turned to alcohol as a result and recently admitted his depressive state, confirming that he had failed with multiple suicide attempts over the past six years. His performances have never returned to that of his early Inter days, a second stint with Flamengo in 2009 and 2010 proving to be a false dawn for the striker.

It really is a sad sorry state of affairs for Adriano, especially with the bouts of depression.  This was a player, as a youngster, I idolised and you can only imagine my excitement at the announcement of him being the cover star for Pro Evolution Soccer 2006, a game I rushed out to buy due to his appearance.

However, it now appears the career of the player, who has picked up the Bidone d’Oro – the worst player of the year in Serie A – the most times in its history, is all but over. It is unlikely any team will give him another chance to prove himself, regardless of the natural talent his possesses. A truly upsetting story of a player who could’ve easily been one of the games best had he just received the right help for his problems. 

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