The Emperor of Roma
The Roman gladiators signed “the Emperor” Adriano. And the Brazilian striker announced his entry into the fold by scoring its first goal for AS Roma, when the side took the pitch against Riscone Brunico in a recent friendly game.
When rumors first surfaced that Adriano was indeed being transferred to AS Roma, supporters were unsure whether the move would be a Scudetto-winning deal or squad-disrupting debacle.
It’s still too early to tell—but at least things took on a positive start for Adriano and AS Roma.
After reigning over Serie A while playing for Inter, Adriano suffered a downward spiral rooted from alcoholism and depression. His form took a dive and was booted out from Inter.
Former Selecao manager Dunga also shied away from selecting Adriano during the run up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, even after featuring in the `06 edition of the Brazilian National Team.
The Emperor had fallen from grace, his empire was in shambles.
But Adriano wasn’t about to let his supporters down. He admitted that he was damaged and that he needed to get back to his roots to salvage his career.
Back home, the 28-year-old came back to the fore both in the Brazilian Serie A and in the Copa Libertadores as “the Emperor” went on a goal-scoring spree.
And so he set forth to conquer Serie A once again.
While there are others who doubt Adriano’s capacity to rule over Seria A like he did before, there are still a handful of his former comrades who are backing up Adriano’s campaign to reclaim his throne.
Inter Milan skipper Javier Zanetti is one of those people.
Zanetti believes that Adriano will once again be a smashing success in Serie A. “His experience in Brazil has helped him find himself again... I hope that he can still be the player that we all got to know and admire during his time in Italy,” said Zanetti.
During his time with Inter, Adriano was given all the help he needed, but he just couldn’t defeat his demons. Now that he is with Roma, Adriano does not have the luxury of being babied by the club. He simply has to master his demons, slay them, and become a Roman gladiator on the pitch.
After all, AS Roma boss Ranieri has built a group in his own vision, one that would always stick together in the heat of the battle, and one that wouldn't be found guilty of doing anything to disrupt the flow of the team spirit.
The striker has been known to have an appetite for partying, and he must avoid succumbing to that at all cost if he intends to lead the fight for the Scudetto.
So far, Adriano has been on point for Roma. His striker’s instincts are back after scoring his first goal for his new club. Speaking to reporters, Adriano stated: "I feel great. It's obvious that there is chemistry already. It is easy to play like this with so many champions who move well in the attack.
"It went pretty well, but still there is much work to do. I know I still have to improve. Today, we had a good match. We hope before the beginning of the Serie A we still can improve. There is still time to work. Is it possible to see all these forwards in the field? It will be up to us. We must do well," added Adriano.
For Adriano, the fight is far from over. Time will tell if he truly is the emperor that Roma has been waiting for all these years.
Will we see the Adriano of old? His legions of supporters will just have to wait.
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