Adriano - TheSportsDB.com

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Name
Adriano

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Born
1982 (43 years old)

Birth Place
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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Position
Forward

Status

Ethnicity
Hispanic

Team Number

Height
189 cm

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Sport

Soccer

Team
_Retired Soccer

2nd Team

League
_No League Soccer

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No

Description

Adriano Leite Ribeiro (born February 17, 1982), commonly known simply as Adriano, is a Brazilian former professional footballer. A striker 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 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. 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 moved back to his native Brazil in 2009 and went on to win a Brasileirão with both Flamengo and Corinthians. He retired in 2016 at the age of 34.

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

Adriano made his international debut for Brazil in a World Cup qualifier against Colombia on 15 November 2000 at the age of 18. He was often considered as the long-term successor to Ronaldo. Adriano scored his first international goal on 11 June 2003 in a friendly against Nigeria. He was included in the Brazil team for 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, and led Brazil's attack alongside Ronaldinho in the absence of Ronaldo. He appeared in all three matches and scored two goals as Brazil was eliminated in the group stage. He missed the 2004 CONMEBOL Men Pre-Olympic Tournament due to injury.

The following year, he was included in Brazil team for 2004 Copa América. Brazil won the cup and Adriano won the Golden Boot as the competition's leading scorer with seven goals. In the final match against Argentina, Adriano dramatically scored the equalizer in the 93rd minute. The match went on to penalties and Brazil finally won 4–2, with Adriano scoring his penalty. After the match, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira singled out Adriano as a very important factor in winning the title.

In 2005, Adriano once again had an impressive tournament with Brazil, this time in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. Adriano was named Player of the Tournament and received the Golden Boot Award as the competition's leading scorer with five goals. In the final, he steered Brazil to victory, scoring two goals in a 4–1 victory over Argentina.

Adriano was called up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, forming part of Brazil's highly publicized "magic quartet" of offensive players alongside Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Kaká. He scored his first goal on 18 June 2006 in a 2–0 win against Australia and his second in a 3–0 victory against Ghana. Despite his two goals, Adriano's World Cup campaign was considered a disappointment, as he managed only five shots all tournament, while Brazil as a whole were unable to find the right mix between defence and attack, ultimately being eliminated in the quarter-finals by France.

After the disappointing World Cup, Adriano's international career declined due to a series of poor club performances and personal problems. Adriano has featured once for Brazil under Dunga's regime since the conclusion of the World Cup, as a halftime substitute during a 2–0 friendly loss to Portugal on 6 February 2007. In 2008, Adriano finally regained his form during his stint at São Paulo FC and earned a recall to the national team. On 10 October 2008, Adriano scored his first international goal in two years in a World Cup qualifier against Venezuela. He was a regular member of Brazil squad during World Cup qualification, and was brought for the team's last friendly prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup against Republic of Ireland. However, Adriano was one of the two players dropped from the final 23-men squad by coach Dunga, along with Carlos Eduardo (who had replaced an injured Elano against Ireland). The backup of injured Luís Fabiano on the Ireland game, Grafite, instead occupied Adriano's place. Adriano was also left out of the backup player list.

In November 2014, a judge in Rio de Janeiro cleared Adriano of charges of drug trafficking which had first been alleged in 2010, due to a lack of sufficient evidence.