Selling The Emperor: Right Or A Wrong? Not any more distant than a couple of years ago Adriano was considered one of the best five players in the world. Many top European clubs would try their best to put their hands on him – in particular Real Madrid were eager to add yet another piece to their Galactic collection. But the Brazilian stayed on, living several troubled months, due to injuries and long spells of poor form.
As the season is drawing to a close, the summer transfer market is looming and the grapevine has begun to rustle. Real Madrid are said to be interested in Adriano again, even if they are not willing to spend the same amount of money they were ready to table in the past. Will Moratti send Madrid another striker after the 2002 Ronaldo deal? Maybe this time that would be quite a good move. Luca Manes has a look at the pros and cons of letting the Emperor take his empire to Spain …
Italian football fans got to know Adriano when he scored a great goal in a friendly match against Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. It was a warm night back in August 2001, and the 19 year-old ex-Flamengo future star found the back of the net with an incredible free kick.
In fact it was a daisy cutter, a bit of a Roberto Carlos style kick. As I said, he was only young, a big guy with a contagious smile, coming from the tough Rio De Janeiro favelas (shanty towns) and bearing some unpleasant memories of a difficult childhood.
He was brought up by a poor family, but football – and Flamengo – came to a rescue, giving him a chance to leave the favelas. After a shining start of his career with the Rubro-negro club, Adriano was noticed by Inter scouts, and a trip to Europe was very soon arranged.
At that time Inter was Ronaldo’s realm and “little†Adriano was very happy to join the team his idol was playing for. Actually Ronnie was just recovering from one of his several injuries, and he was also about to live after the fatal May 5th 2002 Lazio-Inter clash (his last match for Inter) and a few arguments with the Argentinean coach Cúper.
In the meantime (January 2002), the younger Brazilian was sent on loan to Fiorentina to play with more regularity. After that spell, ending up with the Viola getting relegated, Moratti decided to sell “half†of his young prospect to Parma.
Adriano’s great performances for the Ducali eventually convinced Moratti to invest some money to get him back from the Gialloblu and to give him the keys of Inter striking force.
Adriano was phenomenal at the beginning of his second part of story with the Beneamata (Beloved), deserving the ambitious nickname of L'Imperatore (The Emperor).
Ironically, just when all the top clubs' Presidents would have loved to splash a lot of money out on signing him, he started to go downhill with a bullet as both personal and professional aspects of his life went awry.
Both physical – muscular – and psychological – attitude problems, coupled with his great passion for the Milan night life and girls who should only go out with paper bags over their heads, proved to be very costly for his career development.
At a time when the number 10 should have been sloughing off another cocoon to emerge as the worlds best striker, he did the opposite and even went a horrific nine months without scoring as snaps in the paper could him with a cigarette in one hand and a Fubanga (Brazilian Portuguese for a slapper) in the other.
I don’t want to be too provocative, but maybe it’s time to sell Adriano and to cash in before Inter end up with an expensive problem on their hands – and no way out.
Maybe it was a mistake not to sell him a couple of seasons ago, when Real Madrid were offering an outrageous amount of money (possibly more than 50 million Euros) or a good deal of players.
Right now Moratti must be really uncertain. He’s already sold a top striker like Ronaldo to Real Madrid, and actually he had some reasons to regret that move (don’t forget that the Fenômeno kept scoring for the Casa Blanca as well).
But what will he think, if Adriano fails to impress next season? He would get further devaluated, and not many club would get in line to knock on Inter’s door with their pockets full of Euros.
Inter are said to be interested in Lucarelli as a possible replacement. He’s definitely a good striker – 18 goals so far this season, 104 in Serie A in the whole career, but is hardly sending Inter fans into joyful delirium.
According to current Livorno Coach and former Mancini assistant Orsi, Lucarelli would be a great addiction to Inter.
Honestly, as the Nerazzurri patron has decided to confirm Mancini on the Italian champions’ bench, he should be willing please his Coach, and for this reason Adriano may well go.
The former Lazio gaffer is not convinced the Brazilian can be that useful for his team anymore.
Adriano doesn’t fit in very well in his schemes, as he’s not the kind of player too used to passing the ball or to be very cooperative with his team mates.
Obviously if he’s in form – and not too tired after a long night life session – he can win a match by himself, but that hasn’t happened very often recently.
Inter might struggle to keep Crespo, while the Recoba future is uncertain as well. Signing Lucarelli could be a god idea, even if Inter have already got an over thirty and experienced-player like Cruz.
A good strategy could be getting as much cash as possible from the Adriano departure to invest in a prospect like Reggina striker Bianchi.
Then again, if rumours regarding Real Madrid interest are not based on pure fantasy but on concrete intentions, Moratti & co. could bag Diarra as part of the deal.
Inter have already got the top quality striker, relying on a world class player like Ibrahimovic.
He proved to be highly instrumental in Inter's Scudetto triumph, as he can create chances both for himself and for the rest of the team.
He’s the real phenomenon, and Inter do miss him a lot when he’s not on the pitch – and you can tell just watching the way the Nerazzurri played the Italian Cup final first leg last Wednesday.
At the moment he’s injured, but he’ll be back right after the summer. The Interisti supporters can’t wait to see their new Emperor perform again in front of their eyes, so wouldn’t be too sad to have to part company with his “predecessorâ€.
The Emperor is dead, long live the Emperor?
Italy Selling The Emperor: Right Or A Wrong?
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Please take him. I'd expect Real would offer 50m euro and then Inter can get him back on a free transfer in 4 yearsMadrista wrote:If Adriano wants to reserect his career he will move to Real and follow in the footsteps of Ronaldo and win the La Liga and Champions League with the most prestigous club in thew world.
Thanks for Cambiasso by the way, you done well to nurture him for us.
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No probs considering you paid twice what we brought him for it's all good. It was great seeing him lift all that silverware at Real while he was there to.....oops wasn't too much was there.Madrista wrote:No worries about Cambiasso, he is a shadow of the player Guti is, and with Gago coming through the ranks, Cambiasso will be hardly missed. I would like to thank Inter for helping Ronaldo through his injuries over two season and then selling him to us while he was in his prime.
Guti? You mean the same player that Capello publicly rubbished.
As long as you keep giving us players on the cheap, Cambiasso, Figo, Solari and Samuel and buying our problem childs for top dollar I wish your club well.
Ambrosiana, I can't remember any other bit of business between our clubs other than Ronaldo, and with Ronaldo wwe won a Champions League and a couple of La Liga titles, what did Inter win in the time he left? Even when Inter do win scudetto's, its handed to them in the courts, so please don't disrespect a club that wins trophys on the pitch.
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As an AC fan, I never really felt Intimidated by him as a player, more mystified as to why he was called the emporer, and then the speculation about him joining Rome, I thought he should have taken that move as an Emporer is much more fitting to the Romans.
He never had the impact that sheva did in his first years, or 3rd year for that matter, I think that adriano is intimidated by Inter's signings this year for their attack and this has destroyed adriano, with moratti being the fault for all this.
He never had the impact that sheva did in his first years, or 3rd year for that matter, I think that adriano is intimidated by Inter's signings this year for their attack and this has destroyed adriano, with moratti being the fault for all this.
ACM1899 4 LIFE
So who did Figo, Solari, Samuel and Cambiasso transfer from then?Madrista wrote:Ambrosiana, I can't remember any other bit of business between our clubs other than Ronaldo, and with Ronaldo wwe won a Champions League and a couple of La Liga titles, what did Inter win in the time he left? Even when Inter do win scudetto's, its handed to them in the courts, so please don't disrespect a club that wins trophys on the pitch.
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Your one of those fans! The type that gets confused between his sony play station and real life.Madrista wrote:Ambrosiana, I can't remember any other bit of business between our clubs other than Ronaldo, and with Ronaldo wwe won a Champions League and a couple of La Liga titles, what did Inter win in the time he left? Even when Inter do win scudetto's, its handed to them in the courts, so please don't disrespect a club that wins trophys on the pitch.
Check your history books, Real last won in Europe while Ronaldo was at Inter, also a "couple of titles" is stretching it, try one.
I'll trust in Figo's comments (as he's more qualified to judge than you and I) as to which is a football club and which is a circus act
that's because when he's been firing and weve played milan, he's been injured...although i remember in both derbies last season, even when out of form, he was man of the match...scoring 2 and assisting 2 in those games...MilanManiac wrote:As an AC fan, I never really felt Intimidated by him as a player, more mystified as to why he was called the emporer, and then the speculation about him joining Rome, I thought he should have taken that move as an Emporer is much more fitting to the Romans.
He never had the impact that sheva did in his first years, or 3rd year for that matter, I think that adriano is intimidated by Inter's signings this year for their attack and this has destroyed adriano, with moratti being the fault for all this.
I never knew u were capello's assistant coach. Listen 15 year old kid Real madrid are all individually gifted but together they are nothin, they have never really produced classy football like barcelona, im not a barca supporter but why compare an italian team to real madrid when u cant even compare urself with teams in ur own league.Madrista wrote:The only player I would want to keep out of those four would have been Figo, but he is old so who cares. Samuel, Cambiasso and Solari are all not that good, thus why they moved on. They were that bad I can't even remember them!
For ur information Inter Milan are currently on 93 points with still two games to go, thats something wich ur lovers at real madrid will dream of. Okay u may not have a playstation but im sure u got u an xbox