Adriano – Before
Adriano grew up in Rio de Janeiro, in one of the city’s roughest and toughest neighborhoods. His family was extremely poor, but thankfully, he didn’t join the gang life that corrupts so many people to this day. Instead, Adriano focused most of his time perfecting his soccer skills—something that his parents rejoiced over.
He started playing in 1999 as a member of the Flamengo’s youth squad. His massive size at a young age made him the perfect left-side defender, though he would later switch to forward as his career progressed. In 2000, he secured a two-year contract with Flamengo but would move to Inter Milan for the following season.