Adriano
A player whose lifestyle and attitude never enabled him to fulfil his phenomenal potential. Aged 20, Adriano scored 16 Serie A goals with Parma, and aged 22, he notched 28 in all competitions with Inter Milan in 2004/05, and won the Golden Shoe and Golden Ball in the 2004 Copa America for Brazil. At this point it was expected that Adriano would develop into the world’s best, but it didn’t happen for him. Weight issues, homesickness and injuries saw him score just six goals between 2006 and 2008. Various transfers to Brazilian clubs and AS Roma were largely unsuccessful, and Adriano has actually only made ten league appearances since 2010! He’s currently out of contract, sacked by Atletico Paranaense for missing a training session.
