Adriano (footballer, born February 1982)

Adriano Leite Ribeiro (born February 17, 1982), commonly known simply as Adriano, is a Brazilian former professional footballer.

He played as a striker and was known for his long range left footed strikes.

Adriano had four prolific seasons in Italy with Italian clubs Parma and Inter Milan, being considered one of the best strikers in the world during this time and earning the nickname L'Imperatore ("the Emperor").

Adriano started his career in 1999 on Flamengo's youth squad and earned promotion to the senior squad one year later.

He made his team debut on 2 February 2000, a Torneio Rio-São Paulo match against Botafogo.

He scored a goal against São Paulo in the same competition 4 days later.

Despite signing a two-year contract with Flamengo in June 2000, he secured a move to Inter Milan for the 2001–02 season.

Inter sold another half of Vampeta to PSG (ultimately to Flamengo from PSG for undisclosed fee) for €9.757 million in exchange for Adriano who was valued €13.189 million.

Adriano scored his first goal with the club against Real Madrid in a friendly match as a substitute.

Adriano was loaned to Fiorentina for the 2001–02 season, after which a two-year co-ownership deal with Parma was agreed, for €8.8 million, in order to acquire Fabio Cannavaro which also included another half of Matteo Ferrari for €5.7 million He formed an impressive striking duo with Adrian Mutu, scoring 22 goals in 36 appearances.

He missed the month of November 2003 due to injury.

Adriano finished within the top 10 of the Ballon d'Or in 2004 and 2005 and was awarded the IFFHS World's Top Goal Scorer of 2005 and was also a three time winner of Bidone d'Oro award.

In the absence of Ronaldo he led Brazil to the 2004 Copa América, receiving the Golden Boot as the competition's leading scorer with seven goals.

Adriano returned to the San Siro in January 2004 on a 4 1⁄2-year contract, for about €23.4 million and scored a total of 12 goals in the rest of 2003–04 season.

From 11 July 2004 through 29 June 2005, Adriano was in peak form, scoring 42 goals in both domestic and international competitions.

He was voted sixth for the 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year.

He was a key figure in Inter's 2005–06 Scudetti win before his career was, however, marked by inconsistency and a decline in his performances which coincided with the death of his father.

He also won the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup with Brazil, receiving the Golden Boot Award as the competition's leading scorer with five goals.

Prior to the 2006 World Cup he was part of Brazil's much-vaunted "magic quartet" of offensive players alongside Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Kaká, which ultimately was not successful at the tournament.

Following the signing of the new deal, Adriano's future at Inter suffered due to poor performances, fueled by questions and speculation regarding his work ethic, which was called into question when he was twice caught partying at nightclubs during the 2006–07 campaign.

Brazilian coach Dunga did not call Adriano up for a friendly against Ecuador on 10 October 2006, and called for him to "change his behavior" and "focus on football".

On 18 February 2007, Adriano skipped a team practice due to effects from a lengthy celebration of his birthday the night before, which led to Inter manager Roberto Mancini benching him for the team's Champions League match against Valencia and subsequent Serie A fixture against Catania.

On November 16, 2007, Inter owner Massimo Moratti sent Adriano on unpaid leave to his native Brazil for the second time in eighteen months, where he attended São Paulo's training center, due to his poor physical condition and a past battle with alcoholism.

Though his agent denied Adriano's desire to return to Brazilian club football, Adriano claimed he was willing to leave Inter in the January transfer window in search of regular playing time, with the Italian press stating interest from West Ham United and Manchester City.

In December 2007, Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra expressed interest in bringing Adriano to the club during the January transfer window, commenting, "Adriano was a top player, but he lost form when his father died, and he put on weight."

Moratti, however, stated that Adriano would remain with Inter.

"I would like him back here in January, as strong and as good as he was."

On 10 December, Inter technical director Marco Branca said that Adriano was expected to rejoin the team at the start of the new year.

"[The] news has been good. We intend to leave him in peace until the end of the programme and then he will be treated like the other players."

Inter finalized a deal on 19 December to loan Adriano to São Paulo for the remainder of the 2007–08 season in order to allow him to compete in the 2008 Copa Libertadores.

São Paulo fans were soon seen standing in long lines to buy his new number 10 jersey at the team's official merchandise retailer after Adriano was introduced and his shirt was unveiled at a team press conference.

Adriano celebrated his competitive debut with São Paulo by scoring both goals in their 2–1 victory over Guaratinguetá on the opening day of the 2008 Paulista tournament.

He was sent off after headbutting Santos centre-back Domingos on 10 February 2008, and was suspended for two matches after initially risking a suspension of eighteen months.

He was fined by São Paulo on 29 February for arriving 30 minutes late for training, then leaving early and exchanging words with a photographer.

According to team sporting director Marco Aurélio Cunha, Adriano "left the training ground because he wanted to. The team does not miss him. If he is not happy at São Paulo, he is free to go."

He moved back to his native Brazil in 2009 and went on to win a Brasileirão with both Flamengo and Corinthians.

In September 2005, Inter rewarded him for his efforts with an improved contract running until June 30, 2010.

"He got a phone call from Brazil: 'Adri, dad is dead'. I saw him in his room, he threw the phone and started screaming. You couldn't imagine that kind of scream. Since that day [Inter chairman Massimo] Moratti and myself watched over him as he was our little brother. He kept playing football, scoring goals, and pointing to the sky dedicating them to his father. After that phone call nothing was the same. [Teammate] Iván Córdoba spent one night with him and said 'Adri, you're a mix of Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimović. Are you aware you could become [the] best player ever?' We did not succeed of pulling him out of depression."

He retired in 2016 at the age of 34.

Making his Brazil debut at 18, Adriano was considered the long-term successor to Ronaldo.