Adriano Leite Ribeiro Biography

Adriano Leite Ribeiro was born on February 17, 1982 in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. He lived in one of Brazil’s poorest favelas, Vila Humeilde, with his mother Rosilda. When Adriano was 7 she took him to the Rio de Janeiro club Flamengo where he mainly played five-a-side football until he was ten, after which he began to get a name for himself as a gifted central defender/left-back at the club's youth team. However, it was not until he turned 15 that his then coach saw Adriano's potential further upfield, playing him initially as a midfielder and eventually as a striker. It was to prove a turning point in the player's career and a godsend for both Flamengo and the national team. In 1999 he won the FIFA U-17 World Championship with the Brazilian U-17 national team and at 18 he began playing for the seleção. In 2001 he changed to Inter Milan in Italy where he was soon loaned to first Fiorentina and then Parma in the Serie A. Here he impressed and in 2004 he returned to Inter where he had a remarkable season.