Adriano Leite Ribeiro, better known simply as Adriano, was born
on February 17, 1982 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He weighs 91 kg
and is 189 cm tall. A popular footballer, Adriano is known for
his agility, power, and ball control. Some of his clubs include
Flamengo, Fiorentina, Parma, and his current club,
Internazionale (Inter Milan).
In his first appearance for the Nerazzurri, the striker scored
against Real Madrid in the 2001 Santiago Bernabeu Trophy. Inter
loaned him to Parma and Fiorentina during 2002 and 2003. In
Parma he together with Adrian Mutu formed the most impressive
striking duo of Serie's A last decade. They scored more than 15
goals from passes between each other. Adriano also became famous
in his Parma times for his free kicks. Adriano's kicks are
strong and accurate, though sometimes lacking technical
execution.
He returned to the Nerazzurri in 2004 and has since been an
asset to the team. He has scored a total of 15 goals in his 16
appearances during the 2004-05 season. While playing for the
Brazilian national team, he won the 2004 Copa América in Peru.
Adriano scored the most goals of the tournament and was selected
as the best player.
Adriano is often considered as the long-term successor to
Ronaldo in the Brazillian national team. When he scores a goal,
he looks to the sky in memory of his recently deceased father.
In Italy, he is known by the nickname of "L'Imperatore" ('The
Emperor').
He has recently been linked with a £65 million move to Chelsea.
However, these rumors have been dismissed as false. Even so,
Real Madrid, a Spanish club, has shown interest as well. Adriano
comments that Inter is his home forever and that he wishes to
finish his career there. Giacinto Facchetti, Inter Milan's club
president, is keeping a close watch on the star. "It's
flattering that so many prestigious clubs want him," Facchetti
tells journalists, "but we're keeping tight hold of him."
During the Confederations Cup, Adriano was named Player of the
Tournament. In the final, he steered Brazil to an unforgettable
victory. Two outstanding goals helped Brazil to top Argentina
4-1, the first one coming from a blistering left-footed shot in
the 11th minute. The second came as a result of a Cicinho cross,
with Adriano heading it in. The goal made him the tournament's
top scorer with five goals overall. This goal was also
impressive because Brazil's players passed the ball among
themselves for more than one minute, with most of the players 'participating'
in the goal.
From 11 July 2004 through 25 June 2005, Adriano has scored an
impressive total of 40 goals. They have come from an assortment
of matches (28) including appearances in: Serie A, Coppa Italia
& Champions League games for Inter in 2004/05; Copa America,
South American World Cup qualifying, and Confederations Cup
games for Brazil. |
