Remember how the Brazilian Adriano was an absolutely fantastic striker? And then all of a sudden he was rubbish: struggling for Inter Milan, looking like he didn’t belong at the World Cup in 2006 and ultimately losing his place in the Seleção. There were lots of little injuries, more than a little weight gain and a general look of lethargy in front of goal. Well, now the forward has come clean and admitted that his problems were down to drinking. “After the death of my father and the break up with Daniela (his girlfriend), I took refuge in alcohol,” Adriano told Saturday’s Gazzetta dello Sport. “I must say thank you to the president [of Inter]. It is beautiful to know that he counts on me.” In many many many ways this is good news. Obviously Adriano’s been through a rough time, but at least now we know what was wrong with him. And by the sound of things, he’s all set to make a fresh sober start to 2007/8. Inter aren’t struggling for forwards, they have Crespo on loan, the brilliantly lanky Zlatan Ibrahimovic and have just signed David Suazo. But at just 25, Adriano’s still got his best years to come so Inter and Brazil fans - as well as neutrals - can look forward to seeing one of the world’s great strikers getting back into top form.
