The long nine months without goals scored may have given Adriano much more than the applause that could have been earned during that time. Forward failed the role of the leader of the team, which was given to him by Massimo Moratti, coaches and fans. But the patient Inter was not in vain waiting for the return of the Brazilian.
“I continued to do my own thing. I think I needed such a period to learn something and stop repeating the same mistakes. I thank God for being able to figure this out. Now I want to win with Inter and someday get the Golden Ball.
The crisis that happened to him developed according to all the laws of drama. He is rooted in 2004 when Adriano lost his father. Problems slowly accumulated until March 29 last year. Then Adri in a stressful heat hit the “yellow submarine” from “Villarreal”. Then timelessness began for him.
In Germany, against the background of the devastated Brazil national team, Adriano did not stand out. I had to suspect that the cannon strike, which accelerated the ball to 130 km / h, and sharp accelerations were a thing of the past.
Inter began preparations for the 2006/07 season quite early. And the first game, in the Super Bowl of Italy, Adri finished ahead of schedule, shaking his head in dismay, on the way to the bench. An underlying conflict erupted between him and the coach.
“Mancini helped me a lot. He was often angry with him when he thought that I was right. Sometimes it was. But I need to listen more to others, especially people like Mancini. After all, he himself was a cool player. "
Adriano lost his place at the base of both the national team and the club. He showed the real game only in rare episodes. And the club had no choice but to offer the Brazilian ... to take a walk laid off after the World Cup vacation. An unprecedented incident: in the midst of the season, the player left the club and flew home.
“In Brazil, I was happy spending time with my family. Everything fell into place. I recharged the batteries in my head, because at that time I did not have enough energy. At first, he could not relax, even among friends and relatives. ”
If before the start of the season they wanted to get clubs at the level of “Manchester United” and “Real”, now they are replaced by a modest “Fiorentina”. During the winter transfer period, journalists regularly included the Brazilian in potential acquisitions of Leo Messi, Gigi Buffon or Ronaldo - as part of the payment for their transfers. There were even rumors that Adriano could rent the Brazilian Flamengo.
After a forced vacation, he continued to go for replacements. So it was in the home game with Atalanta, when he replaced another unlucky - Uruguayan Alvaro Recoba.
In that match, the Brazilian, as usual, screwed up several correct moments. But in the interval between them there was a denouement: he scored! Adriano ran to the corner flag, thrashed himself in the chest with his fist and shouted through tears.
“I needed to start scoring again. I was able to do this and now I want to work on the team further, playing better and better. "
A winter break came for Adriano just in time. His appearance in the cup game with Empoli brought another goal and caused a stormy reaction from the media. A sign with the inscription "Emperor" was immediately taken into the light, dust was brushed off and put back in its original place.
Looks like he's back. In the next five matches, the Brazilian scored three goals and helped score the same amount. Adri seemed like a bear just getting out of hibernation. Also because it has noticeably lost weight.
Inter's technical director Marco Branca explains Adriano’s breakthrough very simply. It’s all about the club’s right attitude towards the football player. As a professional and talented player, on the one hand, and as an ordinary guy who is not stranger to anything human, on the other.
The reconstruction process of Adriano is in full swing. The internal changes for the better in the player have already occurred. And the external changes following them will certainly manifest themselves: in goals scored, company dribbling and the famous wide smile.
Inter is my home and my family. Therefore, I will stay here for a long time. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about Inter is my love for the club and its loving people. "
Stanislav POPOVICH