Adriano Leite Ribeiro, known simply as Adriano, was born on February 17, 1982 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He lived in one of Brazil’s poorest favelas, Vila Humeilde, with his mother Rosilda. When Adriano was seven she took him to the Rio de Janeiro club Flamengo where he mainly played five-a-side football until he was 10. It was not until he turned 15 that his then coach saw Adriano’s potential further upfield, playing him initially as a midfielder and eventually as a striker.

In 1999 he won the FIFA U-17 World Championship with the Brazilian U-17 national team and at 18 he began playing for the seleção. An agile and powerful forward, Adriano counts exceptional ball control among his many talents. Some of his clubs include Flamengo, Fiorentina, Parma, and his current club, Internazionale (Inter Milan).

In his first appearance for the Nerrazurri, the striker scored against Real Madrid in the 2001 Santiago Bernabeu Trophy. Inter loaned him to Parma and Fiorentina during 2002 and 2003, but he returned to the Nerazzurri in 2004 and has since been a vital asset to the team.

He has scored a total of 15 goals in his 16 appearances this 2004/05 season. While playing for the Brazilian national team, he won the 2004 Copa America in Peru. Adriano scored the most goals of the tournament and was selected as the best player.

Adriano is often considered as the long-term successor to Ronaldo in the Brazillian national team. When he scores a goal, he looks to the sky in memory of his recently deceased father. In Italy, he is known by the nickname of L’Imperatore (The Emperor). He has recently been linked with a £65 million move to Chelsea.