What happened to Adriano? The dark story behind Brazil's party boy who could have been a great

Adriano

This time 15 years ago, Adriano Leite Ribeiro was on top of the world.

This was a footballer with the same awe-inspiring combination of blistering pace, startling power, nimble footwork and Pro Evo-approved thunderous shooting as the original Ronaldo, and he was getting a lot of people very excited. His form with Parma in the early stages of the 2003/04 season – eight goals in nine Serie A matches – was enough to earn him a big-money move to Inter, where he seemed destined to become one of the biggest stars in the game. It was all but inevitable.

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