In an update to our earlier story, Internazionale boss Massimo Moratti hinted yesterday that the Serie A table leaders were considering cancelling Adriano’s contract in wake of the striker’s stated desire to take a break and “rethink” his career.
Adriano’s situation is a rather sad one, especially when it’s stated by Tim Vickery. Per Vickery’s numerous explanations on “World Football Phone-In”, Adriano comes off as an athlete whose only skill is his skill with the ball. That skill thrilled Adriano’s father, and when his father passed away in 2004 Adriano lost some of the love of the sport.
The clash of cultures between the highly social community of the favela in Rio De Janiero that Adriano grew up in and the isolated mansion of Milan that he moved to also seems to be part of the problem; left to his own devices, Adriano’s depression kicks in. It’s not surprising that he wanted to stay home, particularly after his girlfriend left him stating that she felt like she was more a caretaker than a partner. Being alone in Milan is probably nowhere near as satisfying as being home with your family and friends in Brazil.
It’s easy to not sympathize with Adriano; he’s living a life that none of us can imagine (unless he’s reading this blog, in which case we’d encourage him to sign up for a commenter account through WordPress), having been gifted with fantastic ability and being fortunate enought to be paid to play a sport we all love. Once again, though, this is a reminder that a player’s happiness doesn’t necessarily coincide with his weekly salary; depression can affect anyone, and it’s definitely affecting Adriano.
For Inter’s part, they seem to acknowledge this. Jose Mourinho (never known for being warm and fuzzy) insists that the team offered help to the troubled Brazilian on multiple occassions. Frankly, in this situation the team, not the player’s representatives, seems to want the best for Adriano. His agent, Gilmar Rinaldi, has already talked about the possibility of a two-month break followed by a move to Turkish side Fenerbahçe.
Manager Jose Mourinho sums the situation up much better than I can: “If he stops playing and becomes a happy man then that’s perfect.”
It’s a shame there isn’t an option for him to make the sort of money he should command in Brazil. I get the impression this is a lad who should really be at home and not in Europe. Vickery often talks about the naivete that most of the SA kids have when they travel to Europe, the kinds of traps they fall into just because they’re not used to the kind of lifestyle that Euros live. This kid seems like he should avoid it altogether, or he needs someone in his life to help him grow up a bit.