Calcio Debate: The Sad Story Of Why Jose Mourinho Must Sell Adriano

The Emperor is unstable once more, and is seems that now is the time for his coach to take decisive action over his future...

7 Apr 2009 12:00:12

José Mourinho & Adriano - Inter-Milan - Serie A (Grazia Neri)

Those old enough to remember when yo-yos were cool, Princess Diana wore a seat belt and Newcastle United were actually the second best team in England (but still, for the record, never actually won anything) may also remember a man by the name of Jardel.

He was and remains one of the most prolific strikers in modern history. For ten years, he was incredible. For around five, he was beyond Cristiano Ronaldo last season. His most prolific spells may 'only' have been in Portugal; but these were not some Dirk Kuyt or Mario Gomez goalscoring ratios. These weren't even Ruud van Nistelrooy or Gerd Muller goalscoring ratios. They were better.

Jardel was the highest goalscorer in Europe for three consecutive years and yet he's not even as big a name as Gareth Southgate. He had two afflictions: one being that he was Brazilian, and this meant his competition at international level consisted of Ronaldo and Romario, among others, and the other being a fragile mental state, perhaps brought about by a string of unfortunate circumstances in his personal life.

He was controversially left out of the national squad for the 2002 World Cup, which Brazil would go on to win, and from there began his fitness woes and journeyman decline. He has represented 10 clubs in the last six years, doing very little for any of them, yet is still playing for Ferroviario in Brazil.

If any of this isn't sounding familiar by now, you should probably stop reading.

Now I turn to those of you old enough to remember when Real Madrid's Galacticos era began to go spectacularly wrong, Chelsea were without Roman Abramovich and better suited to the UEFA Cup and somewhere along the line, Digimon replaced Pokemon as the most annoying money-making childrens' franchise on the planet. Yes, we're looking even more recently now, to a time when Adriano was feared and revered as a man who would dominate world football.

Inter scooped him up from Flamengo, farmed him out to Fiorentina and then to Parma, where he truly began to hit the heights before making his return to Milano. He was unstoppable. Everything was either going to go in off his head or his left foot - everybody knew it - but there was nothing anybody could do to stop him.

He hit almost 30 goals in 2004-05; perhaps not in the Jardel realms of supremacy, but this is where playing in the most defensively impressive league in the world did perhaps work against him. Unlike Jardel, Adri was at least fortunate enough to break into the national team - and in some style.

He scored as many goals as Ronaldo ate cupcakes, blasting Brazil to Confederations Cup glory in 2005 looking the world's best striker almost without question at the time. His record for the Selecao to date, his slump and all, is 31 goals in 51 games - imagine what could have been?

It was the 2006 World Cup that was to signal the beginning of his end, just as it did for Ronaldo and even, as many may argue, Ronaldinho. Adriano's father, to whom he had been very close, died before the tournament, and a hapless tactical showing from Brazil coach Carlos Alberto in Germany sought to benefit nobody except perhaps Ronaldo, who broke the all-time World Cup goalscoring record before Brazil crashed out in the quarter-finals to France.

Adriano had already gone off the rails. From being a potential target for Abramovich at Chelsea and Perez at Real Madrid he now couldn't even seal a deal with Manchester City. And this was before the Sheikhs.

The 2006-07 season was his only unmitigated flop on paper. The others were passable - including a fairly successful loan back to Brazil with Sao Paulo last season - but ultimately, this was a man not looking like he could cut it at the highest of high levels anymore. All thoughts of professionalism were drowned in his mini-fortune and the luxurious lifestyle it had granted him. It was just so much easier to drink and party than train and play professional football.

Jose Mourinho taking over at Inter almost seemed perfect. The antithesis of Roberto Mancini and a man who can bring out the best in the ferocious as well as the fragile. Adriano would be his new Drogba.

But now finally, for those of you old enough to remember when Argentina were massacred in La Paz by Bolivia, Manchester United lost to Fulham and I wrote one of the most blatant April Fools' jokes of all time. Yes, even a zygote should remember this, as it was last week. Adriano went missing. Again.

He neglected to return home from international duty on time and not even his agent knew of his whereabouts. Compatriot and Milan rival Kaka even said he fears for the big man's footballing future. Jose Mourinho played his hand well to the press, saying he was not angry, but concerned about his striker - but who was he kidding? Really? He has tried to embrace the Brazilian as best he can, but it's just not a fit anymore.

This has to be the final straw. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic having rightly had demigod status bestowed upon him in the Nerazzurri half of San Siro, Adriano will never be the Emperor he could and should have been at the club. Even tactically, his continued appearance in the side has to an extent limited how they could play. Two big men up top has its advantages, but certainly not in a side with as little wide presence as Inter. Adri has had his moments, but is ultimately hindering Ibra, and vice-versa. Both would gain from a new tactical system, but only one can find a new club in which to do so.

Mario Balotelli is ready and waiting, and if his attitude is not to Jose's liking, the 'Special One' could possibly have his pick of David Villa, Sergio Aguero, Giuseppe Rossi or even Samuel Eto'o this summer. Massimo Moratti is unlikely to stop at anything to give his coach everything he wants, and the Portuguese made it clear after being outclassed by Manchester United in the Champions League that change would be needed this summer.

And then there is Adri. What he will make of his career, as the old cliche goes, remains a mystery. He could go the Jardel route and fade into journeyman obscurity in the lower levels of the game. He may emulate Ronaldinho and start afresh elsewhere, but still a shadow of his former self - and that's if any big gun is willing to take a chance on him, which remains highly unlikely. The best he could hope for is to follow similar footsteps to Ronaldo: to continue raking in the goals, even if in slightly less awe-inspiring fashion than before and at the cost of a shortened career - because one thing remains for sure: he will never be the same again.