🎙️ Javier Zanetti on Adriano:
“As soon as he arrived at Inter, he scored a goal of impressive power in a friendly match against Real Madrid. I said to myself: ‘He is the new Ronaldo, he has everything. Physics, talent, speed.’ But Adri came from the favelas and that scared me.
I had seen the problems that wealth generates on someone who has never had anything. Almost every day, at the end of practice, I would ask him, "What are you doing tonight?" Where are you going?". I was afraid that he would get into trouble.
Adriano had a father who watched him a lot and knew how to keep him focused. But before the start of the season, the unimaginable happened. They called him from Brazil and he received news that can change you forever: “Adriano, your father is dead”.
I saw him sobbing, throwing the phone and screaming like hell. Moratti and I, since that day, took him under our protection, like a little brother. During this time, he was playing, he was scoring and dedicating his goals to his father while raising his eyes and hands to the sky. But since that phone call he has never been the same. We spent entire evenings encouraging him:
“Do you realise? You are a mix between Ronaldo and Ibrahimović, you can become stronger than them, you have everything.”
But we failed, we couldn't get him out of the depression, and it still hurts me..."