Adriano (footballer, born February 1982) facts for kids

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In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Leite and the second or paternal family name is Ribeiro.

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Adriano

Adriano in 2009

Personal information

Full name

Adriano Leite Ribeiro

Date of birth

17 February 1982 (age 43)

Place of birth

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Height

1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)

Position(s)

Striker

Youth career

1997–1999

Flamengo

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

2000–2001

Flamengo

(14)

2001–2002

Inter Milan

(1)

2002

→ Fiorentina (loan)

(6)

2002–2004

Parma

(23)

2004–2009

Inter Milan

115

(47)

2008

→ São Paulo (loan)

(11)

2009–2010

Flamengo

(30)

2010–2011

Roma

(0)

2011–2012

Corinthians

(2)

2012

Flamengo

(0)

2014

Atlético Paranaense

(0)

2016

Miami United

(0)

Total

296

(133)

International career

1999

Brazil U17

(0)

2001–2002

Brazil U20

(6)

2000–2010

Brazil

(27)

Medal record

FIFA Confederations Cup

Representing Brazil
Winner	2005 Germany
Copa América
Winner	2004 Peru
South American U-20 Championship
Winner	2001 Ecuador
FIFA U-17 World Cup
Winner	1999 New Zealand

*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Adriano Leite Ribeiro (born 17 February 1982) is a former professional footballer from Brazil. He was known for his powerful left-footed shots and strong presence as a striker.

Adriano played for several top clubs in Italy and Brazil. He was considered one of the best strikers in the world during his time with Parma and Inter Milan. Fans even nicknamed him L'Imperatore, which means "the Emperor." He was a key player when Inter Milan won the Serie A title in 2006. Adriano also played an important role for the Brazilian national team, helping them win the 2004 Copa América and the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. He retired from football in 2016.

Adriano's Football Journey

Starting Out in Brazil

Adriano began his football career in 1999 with Flamengo's youth team. He quickly moved up to the senior squad the following year. His first game for Flamengo was on 2 February 2000, in a match against Botafogo. Just four days later, he scored his first goal for the team.

In 2001, Adriano moved to Italy to play for Inter Milan. He scored his first goal for Inter in a friendly match against Real Madrid.

Playing for Parma

After his time at Inter, Adriano was loaned to Fiorentina for the 2001–02 season. Later, he joined Parma in a special co-ownership deal. At Parma, he formed a strong attacking partnership with Adrian Mutu. He scored 22 goals in 36 games, showing his talent as a goalscorer.

Returning to Inter Milan

Adriano returned to Inter Milan in January 2004. He continued his excellent form, scoring 12 goals in the rest of the 2003–04 season. Between July 2004 and June 2005, Adriano was at his best, scoring 42 goals in both Italian and international competitions. Inter Milan recognized his efforts and gave him a new contract until 2010.

However, after a personal loss in 2004, Adriano's performances became less consistent. He sometimes missed team practices, which led to him being benched by his coach.

Loan to São Paulo

Adriano playing for São Paulo in March 2008

In November 2007, Inter Milan sent Adriano back to Brazil for a period of leave. He trained at São Paulo's training center to improve his physical condition. In December 2007, Inter confirmed that Adriano would return to the team.

On 19 December, Adriano was loaned to São Paulo for the rest of the 2007–08 season. This allowed him to play in the 2008 Copa Libertadores. São Paulo fans were very excited, lining up to buy his new number 10 jersey. Adriano scored two goals in his first game for São Paulo, helping them win 2–1. He was later sent off in a match and fined for being late to training. In June, São Paulo announced that Adriano was returning to Inter Milan earlier than planned.

2008–09 Season at Inter

Adriano scoring a header in a Milan derby on 15 February 2009

Adriano continued to score goals for Inter Milan in the early part of the 2008–09 Serie A season. He reached a total of 100 goals in the top leagues of Italy and Brazil. In October 2008, he scored the winning goal in a Champions League match, bringing his total to 18 Champions League goals for the club.

In April 2009, Adriano ended his contract with Inter Milan.

Second Time at Flamengo

Adriano with Flamengo in 2009

On 6 May 2009, Adriano signed a one-year contract with Flamengo, the club where he started his career. He scored a goal in his first game back on 31 May 2009. On 21 June 2009, he scored his first hat-trick for Flamengo in a 4–0 win. His strong performances helped Flamengo win their first Brazilian Serie A title since 1992.

In January 2010, Adriano scored another hat-trick in a thrilling 5–3 comeback win against rivals Fluminense.

Short Stint at Roma

On 8 June 2010, Italian club Roma announced that Adriano had signed a three-year contract. He was given the number 8 shirt. However, Roma ended his contract in March 2011, after only seven months.

Playing for Corinthians

On 25 March 2011, Adriano signed a one-year deal with Corinthians. He suffered an Achilles tendon injury in April and spent six months recovering. He played his first game for Corinthians on 9 October 2011. His first goal for the club came on 20 October, which was the winning goal in a 2–1 game. In March 2012, Adriano left Corinthians.

Third Time at Flamengo

On 21 August 2012, Adriano signed a contract for a third time with Flamengo. He was released by the club in November 2012.

Atlético Paranaense

On 11 February 2014, Adriano signed with Atlético Paranaense. He left the club in April 2014.

Miami United and Retirement

On 28 January 2016, Adriano signed with Miami United in the National Premier Soccer League. He left the club in May 2016, marking the end of his professional playing career.

Adriano's International Career

Adriano with the Brazil national football team in 2006. He scored 27 goals in 48 appearances for Brazil.

Adriano made his debut for the Brazilian national team at the age of 18, in November 2000. Many people saw him as a potential long-term successor to the famous Brazilian player Ronaldo. He scored his first international goal in June 2003.

In 2004, Adriano was part of the Brazil team that won the 2004 Copa América. He was the top scorer in the competition with seven goals. In the final against Argentina, Adriano scored a dramatic equalizer in the last minute, and Brazil went on to win in a penalty shootout.

The following year, Adriano had another amazing tournament with Brazil at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. He was named the best player of the tournament and was also the top scorer with five goals. In the final, he scored two goals as Brazil defeated Argentina 4–1.

Adriano was selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was part of a highly anticipated attacking group alongside Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Kaká. He scored two goals in the tournament. However, Brazil was eliminated in the quarter-finals.

After the 2006 World Cup, Adriano's international appearances became less frequent. He did return to the national team in 2008 and scored his first international goal in two years during a World Cup qualifier. He was considered for the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad but was not included in the final team.

Adriano's Playing Style

Adriano was a powerful and skilled striker. He was known for his speed, strength, and excellent technical abilities. Because of his strong presence and skill, he was nicknamed L'Imperatore ("The Emperor") in Italy.

He was a left-footed player with great ball control and dribbling skills. Adriano was also a very strong shooter with his left foot and could score from long distances. He was good at taking free-kicks and was also effective at heading the ball. He could also work well with his teammates, creating chances and providing assists.

In his early career, Adriano was seen as a very promising player, often compared to Ronaldo. However, as his career went on, he faced challenges that affected his consistency and performance.

Personal Life

Adriano has a son, also named Adriano, who is also a professional footballer.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Flamengo	2000	Série A	19	7	–		8	1	13	3	40	11
	2001	Série A	5	3	4	1	2	0	8	1	19	5
	Total		24	10	4	1	10	1	21	4	59	16
Inter Milan	2001–02	Serie A	8	1	1	0	5	0	–		14	1
Fiorentina (loan)	2001–02	Serie A	15	6	–		–		–		15	6
Parma	2002–03	Serie A	28	15	1	0	2	2	–		31	17
	2003–04	Serie A	9	8	2	0	2	1	–		13	9
	Total		37	23	3	0	4	3	–		44	26
Inter Milan	2003–04	Serie A	16	9	2	3	–		–		18	12
	2004–05	Serie A	30	16	3	2	9	10	–		42	28
	2005–06	Serie A	30	13	5	0	11	6	1	0	47	19
	2006–07	Serie A	23	5	3	1	3	0	1	0	30	6
	2007–08	Serie A	4	1	–		–		–		4	1
	2008–09	Serie A	12	3	3	2	7	2	–		22	7
	Total		115	47	16	8	30	18	2	0	163	73
São Paulo (loan)	2008	Série A	–		–		10	6	19	11	29	17
Flamengo	2009	Série A	30	19	–		–		–		30	19
	2010	Série A	2	0	–		7	4	12	11	21	15
	Total		32	19	–		7	4	12	11	51	34
Roma	2010–11	Serie A	5	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	8	0
Corinthians	2011	Série A	4	1	–		–		–		4	1
	2012	Série A	–		–		–		3	1	3	1
	Total		4	0	–		–		3	1	7	2
Atlético Paranaense	2014	Série A	1	0	–		3	1	–		4	1
Miami United	2016	NPSL	0	0	–		0	0	1	1	1	1
Career total			241	107	25	9	70	33	59	28	405	177

International Appearances and Goals

Appearances by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Brazil	2000	1	0
	2001	0	0
	2002	0	0
	2003	6	3
	2004	11	9
	2005	12	10
	2006	6	3
	2007	1	0
	2008	6	2
	2009	4	0
	2010	1	0
Total		48	27

Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Adriano goal.

List of international goals scored by Adriano
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	11 June 2003	Abuja, Nigeria	Nigeria	3–0	3–0	Friendly
2	21 June 2003	Lyon, France	United States	1–0	1–0	2003 FIFA Confederations Cup
3	23 June 2003	Saint-Étienne, France	Turkey	1–0	2–2	2003 FIFA Confederations Cup
4	11 July 2004	Arequipa, Peru	Costa Rica	1–0	4–1	2004 Copa América
5				3–0
6				4–0
7	18 July 2004	Piura, Peru	Mexico	2–0	4–0	2004 Copa América
8	18 July 2004	Piura, Peru	Mexico	3–0	4–0	2004 Copa América
9	21 July 2004	Lima, Peru	Uruguay	1–1	1–1	2004 Copa América
10	25 July 2004	Lima, Peru	Argentina	2–2	2–2	2004 Copa América
11	5 September 2004	São Paulo, Brazil	Bolivia	3–0	3–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
12	9 October 2004	Maracaibo, Venezuela	Venezuela	5–0	5–2	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
13	16 June 2005	Leipzig, Germany	Greece	1–0	3–0	2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
14	25 June 2005	Nuremberg, Germany	Germany	1–0	3–2	2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
15	25 June 2005	Nuremberg, Germany	Germany	3–2	3–2	2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
16	29 June 2005	Frankfurt, Germany	Argentina	1–0	4–1	2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
17	29 June 2005	Frankfurt, Germany	Argentina	4–0	4–1	2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
18	4 September 2005	Brasília, Brazil	Chile	3–0	5–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
19				4–0
20				5–0
21	12 October 2005	Belém, Brazil	Venezuela	1–0	3–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
22	21 November 2005	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	United Arab Emirates		8–0	Friendly
23	4 June 2006	Geneva, Switzerland	New Zealand		4–0	Friendly
24	18 June 2006	Munich, Germany	Australia	1–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup
25	27 June 2006	Dortmund, Germany	Ghana	2–0	3–0	2006 FIFA World Cup
26	10 October 2008	San Cristóbal, Venezuela	Venezuela	3–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
27	19 November 2008	Brasília, Brazil	Portugal		6–2	Friendly