Brazil football legend Adriano has broken his silence after sparking fear among his fans when a video appearing to be of him intoxicated surfaced on social media.
Adriano is famed for playing for the likes of Inter Milan and Flamengo during his illustrious career, also starring for Brazil, making 48 appearances for his national side.
He retired in 2016 at the age of 34, having won 14 major honours in his career including four Serie A titles with Inter. Yet, despite his success, the former striker failed to reach the heights many predicted when he burst onto the scene.
The former star struggled with alcoholism and depression during his time in Italy and has now claimed that he’s ‘football’s biggest waste’.
In an interview with The Players Tribune, Adriano said: ‘Do you know what it feels like to be a promise? I know. Including an unfulfilled promise. Football’s biggest waste: Me.
Former Brazilian footballer Adriano has claimed he’s ‘football’s biggest waste’ in an interview
The former Inter Milan recently appeared in a social media clip that sparked health concerns
‘I like that word, waste. Not only because of how it sounds, but because I’m obsessed with wasting my life. I’m fine like this, in frantic waste. I enjoy this stigma.
‘I don’t do drugs, as they try to prove. I’m not into crime, but, of course, I could have been. I don’t like clubbing.
‘I drink every other day, yes. (And the other days, too.) How does a person like me get to the point of drinking almost every day?
‘I don’t like giving explanations to others. But here’s one. I drink because it’s not easy to be a promise that remains in debt. And it gets even worse at my age’.
Adriano’s scoring record for Inter dramatically dipped during the 2006-07 campaign and he only played a bit-part role the following season as he battled with his demons.
He was subsequently loaned out to Sao Paulo and spent the majority of his remaining playing days in his native country of Brazil.
Speaking on his time in Italy, he said: ‘I was broken. I grabbed a bottle of vodka. I’m not exaggerating, bro. I drank all that shit alone. I filled my a** with vodka. I cried all night.
‘I passed out on the couch because I drank so much and cried. But that was it, right, man? What could I do? I was in Milan for a reason. It was what I had dreamed of my entire life.
‘God had given me the opportunity to become a football player in Europe. My family’s life has improved a lot thanks to my Lord and everything He did for me. And my family did a lot too.
The Brazilian was one of the most prolific forwards in football during his years at Inter Milan
He retired in 2016 after a career starring for the likes of Inter Milan, Flamengo and Brazil
‘That was a small price I had to pay, compared to what was happening and what was still going to happen. I had this clear in my head. But that didn’t stop me from being sad’.
The emergence of a clip that purportedly showed him day-drinking in his childhood favela at the start of the month fuelled concern that he was never able to shirk the trappings of alcoholism.
He was seen stumbling about the streets barefoot in broad daylight, sticking out his tongue and wildly gesturing to those around him with a chaotic smile plastered across his face.
The Brazilian legend was later seen sitting against a lamppost and staring into space as he gently swayed back and forth in uncomfortable footage that ignited a debate on social media.