Former Brazilian international striker Adriano, who notably brought joy to Inter Milan, said his official “farewell” to football, eight years after his last meeting, during a match in his honor on Sunday December 15 at the Maracana in Rio.
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Played in front of more than 20,000 spectators, this jubilee, which pitted the “legends” of Flamengo, its training club, against the “Friends of Italy”, ended with a 4 to 3 victory for the former, in the presence of several former members of the Seleçao, including Romario.
Now 42 years old, Adriano Leite Ribeiro, nicknamed “the Imperatore” (“the Emperor”) during his time of splendor in the early 2000s, scored for each of the two teams, alongside his son Adrianinho.
The meeting was briefly interrupted by a message from his deceased father, generated by artificial intelligence, and Adriano was warmly greeted by each of the players present.
In AFP photos, we see him in tears, applauded by Junior, another legend of Flamengo and Brazil, in the 1980s. After regaining his smile, Adriano was given a commemorative silver plaque by Zico where The word “Imperador” was written.
This tribute comes more than eight years after the last professional match played by the former scorer for Inter, but also for AS Roma, who had wanted to return permanently to Brazil for family reasons well before his thirties.
Winner with Brazil of the Copa America in 2004 then the Confederations Cup the following year, at barely 22 years old, Adriano (48 caps) then gradually disappeared from the radar.
Returning to live in the favela of his childhood, in Rio, he spoke about his problems with alcoholism last month to the specialized site “The Players’ Tribune”.
“ Do you know what it feels like to be a “hope”? I know it. Including being a disappointed hope. Biggest mess in football: Me. I like that word “waste”… I don’t do drugs like they try to make me believe. I’m not a criminal but of course I could have been…I drink every day “, he wrote in particular.