Adriano Leite Ribeiro, known simply as Adriano, was born on February 17, 1982 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He weighs 87 kg and is 189 cm tall. An agile and powerful forward, Adriano counts exceptional ball control among his many talents. Some of his clubs include Flamengo, Fiorentina, Parma, and his current club, Internazionale (Inter Milan).

In his first appearance for the Nerrazurri, the striker scored against Real Madrid in the 2001 Santiago Bernabeu Trophy. Inter loaned him to Parma and Fiorentina during 2002 and 2003, but he returned to the Nerazzurri in 2004 and has since been a vital asset to the team. He has scored a total of 15 goals in his 16 appearances this 2004/05 season. While playing for the Brazilian national team, he won the 2004 Copa America in Peru. Adriano scored the most goals of the tournament and was selected as the best player.

Adriano is often considered as the long-term successor to Ronaldo in the Brazillian national team. When he scores a goal, he looks to the sky in memory of his recently deceased father. In Italy, he is known by the nickname of "L'Imperatore" ('The Emperor').

External links

• Adriano Planet - Adriano Fan website