Adriano Leite Ribeiro is a graduate of Brazilian Flamengo, but his talent was quickly noticed by Inter Milanwho paid over EUR 13 million for it in 2001. The Brazilian striker did well in Italy, appearing in Fiorentina and Parma in the following years. Nevertheless, especially in the club from Milan, he scored great goals and impressed with his amazing dribbling, winning four championships and two Italian cups along the way.
Bitter words from a Brazilian legend. “The Greatest Waste”
Unfortunately, as time passed, his career took a wrong turn. Adriano became addicted to alcohol, which gradually ruined his life. One of the reasons was the death of his father, who died in August 2004 of a heart attack at the age of only 45. Since then, the Brazilian has never been the same person again.
– Only I know how much I suffered. My father's death left a huge void in me, I felt very lonely. After he died, everything got worse because I isolated myself. I was alone in Italy, sad and depressed, and then I started drinking – he once said in an interview with the Brazilian portal R7. Adriano's depression was also influenced by the absence from his native Brazil. The striker couldn't find his place in Milan. One day – on Christmas Eve – he returned from a dinner organized at Clarence Seedorf's house. He called his mother, hearing his closest family members talking and singing in the background. After finishing the conversation, he reached for a bottle of vodka, drinking himself into unconsciousness.
Adriano's career ended in 2016. His last club was the American Miami United. After stopping playing football, the Brazilian did not get his act together. On the contrary. More videos regularly appeared online, showing a drunk Adriano partying in his family's favelas. He was almost always accompanied by a bottle of beer or a glass with a drink. Two years ago, it seemed that his salvation might be his partner, Micaela Mesquita, 15 years his junior. Then the former footballer was supposed to undergo a great transformation, end his addiction and take care of his family. However, this did not happen.
On Tuesday, The Players' Tribune published an extensive text in which Adriano described his life in very brutal terms. “Do you know what it's like to be a promise? I know. Including an unfulfilled promise. The greatest waste in football: me. I like that word, waste. Not only because of how it sounds, but because I am obsessed with wasting my life,” the footballer writes in a text titled “Letter to my favela”.
Later in the column, the Brazilian talks about his difficult childhood and the specifics of life among the South American poor. In his youth, he could not count on the help of his father, who was shot during a clash between Brazilian gangs in the 1990s. “I was ten years old when my father was shot. He could never work again. The responsibility for maintaining the house fell entirely on my mother's shoulders,” we read. In adulthood, childhood suffering turned into anxiety attacks. Eventually, Adriano returned to the Brazilian streets because, as he says, he “sees” his father at every step.
He also clearly emphasizes that he still has not overcome alcoholism. “I drink every other day. (And on other days too.) How come it is that me and my person drink almost every day? I don't like explaining myself to others. But here's one thing. I drink because it's not easy to be a promise that remains unfulfilled. And “At my age it's even worse,” he admitted. As you can see, the burden of unfulfilled talent torments him to this day. Nevertheless, Adriano is currently preparing for his own match farewell. It will take place on December 15 at Maracana. The team of Inter legends will play against Flamengo, and the Brazilian himself will symbolically play in both teams.