Thursday, November 14, 2024 - Brazil football legend Adriano has broken his silence after sparking concern when a video appearing to be of him intoxicated surfaced on social media.
Adriano is famed for playing for the likes of Inter Milan
and Flamengo during his illustrious career. He also played for Brazil, making
48 appearances for his national side.
He retired in 2016 at the age of 34, having won 14 major
honours in his career including four Serie A titles with Inter. Yet,
despite his success, the former striker failed to reach the heights many
predicted when he burst onto the scene.
The former star struggled with alcoholism
and depression during his time in Italy and has now claimed that he's
"football's biggest waste".
In an interview with The Players Tribune, Adriano said:
"Do you know what it feels like to be a promise? I
know. Including an unfulfilled promise. Football’s biggest waste:
Me."
"I like that word, waste. Not only because of how it
sounds, but because I’m obsessed with wasting my life. I'm fine like this, in
frantic waste. I enjoy this stigma.
"I don’t do drugs, as they try to prove. I’m not into
crime, but, of course, I could have been. I don’t like clubbing.
"I drink every other day, yes. (And the other days,
too.) How does a person like me get to the point of drinking almost every day?
"I don’t like giving explanations to others. But here’s
one. I drink because it’s not easy to be a promise that remains in debt. And it
gets even worse at my age."
Adriano's scoring record for Inter dramatically dipped
during the 2006-07 campaign and he only played a bit-part role the following
season as he battled with his demons.
He was subsequently loaned out to Sao Paulo and spent the
majority of his remaining playing days in his native country of Brazil.
Speaking on his time in Italy, he said: "I was broken.
I grabbed a bottle of vodka. I’m not exaggerating, bro. I drank all that shit
alone. I filled my a** with vodka. I cried all night.
"I passed out on the couch because I drank so much and
cried. But that was it, right, man? What could I do? I was in Milan for a
reason. It was what I had dreamed of my entire life.
"God had given me the opportunity to become a football
player in Europe. My family’s life has improved a lot thanks to my Lord and
everything He did for me. And my family did a lot too.
"That was a small price I had to pay, compared to what
was happening and what was still going to happen. I had this clear in my head.
But that didn’t stop me from being sad."
The emergence of a clip that purportedly showed him
day-drinking went viral earlier this month.
He was seen stumbling about the streets barefoot in broad
daylight, sticking out his tongue and wildly gesturing to those around him with
a worrying smile plastered across his face.
The Brazilian legend was later seen sitting against a lamppost and staring into space as he gently swayed back and forth in uncomfortable footage that ignited a debate on social media.
Watch video below.
Do you recognize this LEGEND? 🫵🏾
— Oku (@oku_yungx) October 29, 2024
What is his name? pic.twitter.com/LY5JKENtpT
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