The One That Got Away: Adriano

The production line of has been Brazilian superstars is a long and illustrious one; Ronaldinho, Nilmar, Kerlon, Denilson and Kleberson to name a few.

Added to which is Adriano, the man who briefly threatened to become one of Europe's most prolific strikers during his time at Inter Milan before settling for a few too many taco's. A free agent after the termination of his contract at Flamengo, Adriano is yet to surface with a new club and indeed attitude in 2013.

At the height of his fame Adriano graced the cover of Pro Evolution Soccer 6 as he terrorised all defenders in his path; his record for Brazil is astonishing - 27 goals in 48 appearances. Strong, technically astute and hungry for goals he was once hailed as Ronaldo's long term successor. Such hopes have not come to fruition and it serves as a depressing tale of riches to rags that one of Brazil's brightest stars appears to have called it a day at just 31 years-of-age. 

Football can be a particularly precarious sport for those with fluctuating body weight. The off-field distractions can see certain players gain weight at an alarming speed and whilst most run this off pre-season others struggle or show little desire to. Adriano has ballooned in recent years, just as Ronaldo allowed himself to. The difference is that Ronaldo gave much more to football before his knees and his weight pushed him towards retirement. 

It' rumored that Roberto Mancini used the example of Adriano to warn Mario Balotelli of the pitfalls within the game and he could not have picked a better case study. Balotelli is unlikely to ever suffer the weight problems Adriano has had. But he has the potential to become a frequent club hopper, incapable of settling until no manager will want to go near him. 

For Adriano it looks all but over. As Brazil continue to uncover unrecognised gems like Bayern Munich's Dante perhaps they should be monitoring more carefully the players who have the limelight placed upon their shoulders at ludicrously young ages. Neymar's arrogance needs to be quelled considerably if he hopes to emulate Brazil's finest. Though you can't blame him for sticking with Santos, having seen the vast majority of his childhood heroes return from Europe somewhat bloated.