The name of Adriano He reappeared in the world of football, as he once did in the 2000s when he was classified as one of the best footballers of the moment, but this time it was due to the raw stories of his life and the different setbacks that he had to go through, or stay on the road. Like the moments of lust that the Brazilian went through and told in his autobiography “Adriano, my biggest fear”. One of the anecdotes dates back to 2015, when he went partying with a group of 18 women in Rio de Janeiro.
With his career already in decline and with various problems that kept him away from the playing fields, the attacker was close to leaving the team. Atlético Paranaense to join the Le Havre de Franciawho at that time was active in the Ligue 2second division of the country. After problems between the parties involved in completing the transfer and signing the contract, everything fell apart and the Emperor he stayed in his country.
There, to drown his sorrows, he threw a party with his friends in the southern part of Rio, in a brothel called Motel Vip’s from Copacabana. “I put on my robe, ordered my whiskey and started to relax. I turned to the boys and said, ‘Today I’m going to take you all. Today will be Adriano’s party at Vips’“said the former soccer player, alluding to the name of the establishment.
“I sent a message to some acquaintances and organized the Zone. I’m not exaggerating. I called 18 girls. ‘You can come and I’ll pay. The party will be good.’ We arrived at the hotel, 18 girls and 3 guys. One of the warriors fell in love and spent the night with only one. There were 17 left for two of us, but I always liked big games, I was never intimidated by life’s challenges.”Adriano narrated the event.
In fact, according to the Brazilian media Extra At the time, the former attacker of the Inter spent more than USD 17 mil in a single night and even, to prevent the owners of the place from fearing any inconvenience, every time the bill reached USD 800, He paid and the party continued.
At the same time, in his story with The Players’ Tribune, in which he told an open-hearted letter that is traveling around the world, Adriano remembered the day he started drinking alcoholic beverages. “I was 14 years old and in our community we were all celebrating. I took a plastic cup and filled it with beer. That bitter and fine foam that went down my throat for the first time had a special flavor. A new world of ‘fun’ opened up to me. My mother was at the party and saw the scene. She stayed silent, didn’t she? My father… Shit. ‘Stop right there,’ he shouted. Short and thick, as always.”
Precisely, the death of his father was what marked the future of his professional career. It was 2004, The Emperor He was one of the greatest figures in football with the Inter y Brazilscored 28 goals in 42 games at club level and became champion of the America’s Cupbut received the news of the death of Almir Leite Ribeiroalias Mirinhohis dad. “My father’s death changed my life forever. To this day, it is a problem that I have not yet been able to solve.”.
This event, which was added to the distance from his hometown, Vila Belmiro, plus the pain of not being able to spend the holidays with those closest to him, broke Adriano’s empty heart. “I called home. ‘Hello, mom. Merry Christmas,’ I said. ‘My son! I miss you. Merry christmas. Everyone is here, the only one missing is you,’ he responded. I could see the scene in front of me just by listening to the noise over the phone. I started crying immediately”. Once he hung up the phone, everything fell apart: “I was devastated. I grabbed a bottle of vodka. I’m not exaggerating, brother. I drank all that shit alone. I filled my ass with vodka. I cried all night. I passed out on the couch because I drank too much and cried.
At the same time, another of the most heartbreaking excerpts from his letter is based on the moment he is going through in his life: “Do you know what it feels like to be a promise? I know. Including an unfulfilled promise. The biggest waste in football: me. I like that word, waste. Not just because of how it sounds, but because I’m obsessed with wasting my life. I’m fine like this, in a frantic waste. I enjoy this stigma. I don’t take drugs, as they try to prove. I don’t like crime, but of course I could have done it. I don’t like going to clubs. I always go to the same place in my neighborhood, Naná’s kiosk. If you want to meet me, stop by.”
