Having managed to resist the temptation of riches from Chelsea and Real Madrid, the then 23 year old terrorised the Treviso defence with an emphatic hat-trick on the first day of the 2005/06 season in Serie A for Inter Milan. The following day he dominated the sports pages and was being dubbed to move on to greater heights. The Brazilians fortunes have some what changed of late and many sporting fans have disregarded him entirely. The man I speak about is of course Adriano, the forgotten 'emperor' of Brazilian football.
Now 30 and a free agent, it is hard to think of a player who has fallen as dramatically from such great heights. In his prime, many considered Adriano to be one of the finest centre forwards in the game, whose power and determination could be matched by few defenders. Yet, troubles off the field revolving around the death of his father and alcoholism led to his fall from grace.
After failing to impress in his first season in Milan, the Brazilian was provided with a life line when Parma decided to form an agreement to co-own the striker. Forming a formidable partnership with Adrian Mutu, Adriano went on to score 22 goals in 36 games for the Crusaders. This devastating form eventually led to Inter again paying for full ownership of the forward in 2004 in a deal reported to be as much as £21million. In his first season back at the Nerazzurri, he continued his impressive strike rate, finding the back of the net on 15 occasions in just 16 outings.
Boasting a lethal left foot capable of striking a ball with lethal power, the Brazilian became one of the most feared players of his generation. It was during this period where Adriano was most impressive and eventually led to being linked to transfers to Chelsea and Real Madrid. Yet, he decided to stay put in Italy and over the course of 12 months from July 2004, managed to score 40 goals in all competitions both domestically and internationally.
However, soon his fortunes were to change for the worse when in 2006 his father died prematurely. Adriano was unable to cope with the grief and turned to alcohol and was often spotted out at late night parties. In addition to this, his performances and interest of the game waned and so did his love affair with Inter.
After stints firstly in Brazil with Flamengo, then in Italy with Roma and back to his native with Corinthians, the once called 'emperor' has never managed to recapture his form and has suffered continuous problems regarding his weight. Now, after being released by Corinthians this month due to missing training on several occasions, the Brazilian isn't just searching for a new club, but also for a new lease of life.
Adriano's career is a reminder of how fickle fame can be and how it can destroy lives as well as making them. Had he been given the right support, who knows how far he could have gone. With the correct guidance maybe he could have been representing Brazil at the 2014 world cup in his homeland. Yet, unfortunately for the 30 year old it is unlikely a club will again show either trust or faith in him.
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Monday, 12 March 2012
Too Much Too Soon For Villas-Boas
After months of talking about the 'new project' taking place at Chelsea, Roman Abramovich has finally returned to his old ways by unfairly dismissing the young Andre Villas-Boas. After just 8 months in charge of the London club, the Portuguese was shown the exit door after seeing his team fall to fifth in the table, outside the Champions League qualification spots. The total number of different managers in the dugout since Abramovich took charge in 2003 is now at an alarming nine, with Roberto Di Matteo appointed temporary manager this month.
Although results had not gone in favour of Villas-Boas, with disappointing defeats to Everton, Napoli and West Brom, there was an ounce of sympathy felt by many after the decision of his sacking was made public. In order for a new project to be successful, time must be given to the man making the decisive changes. Before the 34 year old was appointed in the summer, fans of the club and critics of its owner were calling for changes to be made on and off the pitch. With older players such as Florent Malouda, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba nearing the end of their contracts and failing to perform in key matches, drastic changes were needed. Yet, one major factor prevented Villas-Boas from making the necessary adjustments. The elder players omitted from the starting line-up began to demonstrate their power at their club, and also their egos.
Once a key player for the blues, Lampard was unable to come to terms with being overlooked and turned to the media to voice his concern about the managers decisions. This unprofessional and egotistical behaviour created enemies for the young manager amongst the public as well as inside the dressing room.
Similar to the England national squad, the players are given too much power and are dictating the fortunes of the manager. Although the decisions made by Villas-Boas did not provide instant success, there was a platform being made to build off. Whoever the new manager is should stick to the plans left in place by his predecessor, because change is what this club needs.
Furthermore, what is also needed, that Villas-Boas lacked, is a manager who can demand respect from his players. Without this squad of power-mad celebrities on side, the new man in charge can expect to suffer similar circumstances of previous fallen Blues managers.
Although results had not gone in favour of Villas-Boas, with disappointing defeats to Everton, Napoli and West Brom, there was an ounce of sympathy felt by many after the decision of his sacking was made public. In order for a new project to be successful, time must be given to the man making the decisive changes. Before the 34 year old was appointed in the summer, fans of the club and critics of its owner were calling for changes to be made on and off the pitch. With older players such as Florent Malouda, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba nearing the end of their contracts and failing to perform in key matches, drastic changes were needed. Yet, one major factor prevented Villas-Boas from making the necessary adjustments. The elder players omitted from the starting line-up began to demonstrate their power at their club, and also their egos.
Once a key player for the blues, Lampard was unable to come to terms with being overlooked and turned to the media to voice his concern about the managers decisions. This unprofessional and egotistical behaviour created enemies for the young manager amongst the public as well as inside the dressing room.
Similar to the England national squad, the players are given too much power and are dictating the fortunes of the manager. Although the decisions made by Villas-Boas did not provide instant success, there was a platform being made to build off. Whoever the new manager is should stick to the plans left in place by his predecessor, because change is what this club needs.
Furthermore, what is also needed, that Villas-Boas lacked, is a manager who can demand respect from his players. Without this squad of power-mad celebrities on side, the new man in charge can expect to suffer similar circumstances of previous fallen Blues managers.
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