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What’s happening with Adriano?
When everyone thought Adriano had definitively left his off-field problems behind and was on the way to becoming once again one of the most feared strikers in the world, writes Pedro Fonseca, the Brazil international is showing that his personal fragility still haunts him.
The 28-year-old striker, who at the height of his powers helped Brazil win the 2004 Copa America and 2005 Confederations Cup as best player and top scorer of both competitions, returned to training with Flamengo on Monday for the first time since playing for Brazil in a World Cup warm-up against Ireland in London a week ago.
Last Friday, when Adriano was expected at Flamengo, he didn’t turn up. The justification given by the Rio club’s vice-president raised fears Adriano again faced problems with drink, one of the reasons for his loss of form and disenchantment with his football career in the past.
“Adriano’s problems are notorious and well known,” said Marcos Braz.
The former Inter Milan striker, who almost quit football a year ago over his personal problems in Italy, recovered his love of the game in 2009 and topped the scoring charts as he helped Flamengo win the Brazilian championship.
This led to his Brazil recall and an almost certain berth in Dunga’s World Cup squad.
Is there any way back for Adriano?
Adriano looks to have played his last match for Inter Milan after failing to return to the Serie A leaders from international duty with Brazil this month and announcing he was taking a break from football.
President Massimo Moratti said last week that Inter were considering extinguishing the player’s contract, which runs until the end of next season.
They have grounds to do so as the failure to turn up to work of the 27-year-old, who has suffered alcohol and personal problems, comes after a string of run-ins with coaches and incidents of indiscipline.
In fairness, Inter have tried hard to restore the fine fettle Adriano displayed between 2004 and 2006, when he was one of Serie A’s most feared forwards and helped Brazil win the 2004 Copa America as the competition’s top scorer.
They allowed him to have a loan stint at Sao Paulo in the first half of 2008, when he scored 16 goals, but he was soon out of sorts again when back in Italy even though his old foe Roberto Mancini had been replaced by coach Jose Mourinho.
Indeed, this time the club appear to have few alternatives to offloading the player after he said he is unhappy in Italy and wants to “live in peace here in Brazil”.
In my opinion Adriano would benefit from a move to Newcastle United. Who better to get him back on track other than Wor Alan Shearer? The Toon have a great tradition of nurturing big number 9s, remember Wor Jackie Milburn, Wor Super Mac and Wor Big Al. We could get him for a song and the fans would really get behind him. We love a big number 9 up here. Afterwards he’d be welcome to let his hair down with us in toon. My only worries are whether he could handle the goldfish bowl scrutiny that Toon players either love or fear up here, or whether he’d be happy playing Championship football next season.
Where has Adriano been?
A missing person’s hunt has ended happily in Brazil. Inter Milan striker Adriano has been found.
The burly 27-year-old, who has battled drink and personal problems in the past, failed to return to Italy last week after being an unused substitute in Brazil’s World Cup qualifiers with Ecuador and Peru. Inter had no idea where he was.
Brazilian and Italian media were filled with stories about his whereabouts. Some said he had missed his plane, some said he was dancing in the streets of a Rio favella, some said he had locked himself inside his Rio home and switched off his phone. One report even said he might be dead.
After five days with no definite news, his agent announced that Adriano had been visiting friends in the Vila Cruzeiro shanty-town where he was raised.
“It’s not a family problem,” Gilmar Rinaldi said as he tried to explain why Adriano had missed Inter’s 1-0 win at Udinese on Sunday. “It’s something very personal, which could happen to anyone, but it’s a private thing and that’s why I can’t say what it is.”
Instead of slamming the striker for his behaviour like he has in the past, Inter coach Jose Mourinho has been sympathetic to Adriano’s plight.
where did he go is right?? football wasnt the same with out him!! 
Adriano ‘the animal’ is still to find his bite
Adriano is surely one of the most frustrating players in the world.
The Brazilian has all the assets needed to be one of the very best strikers — power, pace and guile — yet he has wasted several opportunities to show he can be consistently good.
Indiscipline is part of his problem. Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho left him out for five games after he ignored his orders in a league match, stayed out at a night club and turned up late for training.
Cunning Mourinho brought him back for this weekend’s big clash with rivals Juventus, hoping Adriano would make the most of his return from exile.
Serie A leaders Inter deservedly won 1-0 and Adriano was alright but did nothing spectacular. Afterwards Mourinho defended his decision to recall the striker saying he needed ‘an animal’ to battle against Juve.
But didn’t Adriano used to be something more than an animal?
I remember Adriano looking outrageously good as Brazil won the Confederations Cup in Germany in 2005. At that time you would have bet on him taking the world cup by storm but it all went wrong for him, as with the Brazil team as a whole.
