Football cult hero Adriano was gifted a bizarre yet heart-warming message from his father through the power of AI, following his death 20 years ago.
Adriano was one of the brightest talents to emerge from one of Brazil’s many golden eras in the early 2000s, and had been widely touted for a career at the very height of the game.
However after looking set to succeed Ronaldo as Brazil’s next great world-beating No 9, the passing of his father derailed his career, as he fell out of love with the game.
The man himself has spoken openly about how he was consumed by depression, explaining how he went from ‘heaven to hell’ in the space of just nine days.
Before long, stories of Adriano’s breathtaking goals and dizzying success were replaced by shocking anecdotes of the striker blacking out drunk, missing games and allegedly rubbing shoulders with drug lords as rampant alcoholism took hold.
However, an exhibition match in Brazil saw Adriano reduced to tears as a message from his beloved late father was played on the big screens at the iconic Maracana.
Cult icon Adriano was left in tears after a message from his dead father was played thanks to the powers of AI
Adriano’s father passed away in 2004 and the player has previously said it contributed to his falling out of love with the game
He played for both Flamemgo and the Friends of Italy side in a farewell game at the Maracana
Footage showed the former Brazil star, now 39, burst into tears and struggle to stand up as the homage played out, pacing up and down with his head in his hands, with the game momentarily halted for the message to be played out.
He played one half for both the Flamengo legends side and the Friends of Italy team, who had assembled to mark the official farewell to football of Adriano over the weekend.
It was a star-studded line-up akin to something a video game might cook up; the Flamengo side featured legends like Romario, Edilson, Julio Cesar, Vagner Love, and was managed by iconic former international Zico, deemed the best Brazilian to never win the World Cup.
The Italian side also had its own glittering collection of stars, with Mateo Materazzi, Ivan Cordoba, Dida and David Pizarro – as well as Adriano’s son Adrianinho.
The tears had already begun prior to kick-off after his grandmother appeared at the centre circle, and then continued when his son scored for the Friends of Italy side.
Adriano was twice on the scoresheet – once for each side – and netted the final goal with almost the last kick of the game after Emerson Sheik gave him the ball for a penalty so he could sign off from the game in perfect fashion.
‘I can hardly believe it. I’m anxious, which is unusual for me. I’m going to see friends I played with a long time ago, wearing important jerseys from my life, especially in Maracana.
‘How can I not be nervous? It’s impossible. I hope it’s a wonderful event for the fans and for me as well, because I deserve it (laughs),’ Adriano told ge before the game.
The game saw a litany of legends play for both sides including World Cup winner Romario
Ronaldo also made an appearance, though he did not take to the field for the farewell match
Adriano was twice on the scoresheet and netted for both sides including the final kick of the game
His son, Adrianinho, scored for the Friends of Italy in the first half before receiving a Flamengo shirt as part of the tribute
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.
‘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.
Former Brazilian footballer Adriano 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
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.
‘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.
