Adriano Leite Ribeiro

Place: Rio De Janeiro

Born: 1982

Biography:

Adriano Costa, also known as Adriano Leite Ribeiro, was born on February 17, 1982 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Adriano had four prolific seasons in Italy with Italian clubs Parma and Inter Milan, earning the nickname L'Imperatore ('the Emperor'). He was considered one of the best strikers in the world during this time and finished within the top 10 of the Ballon d'Or in 2004 and 2005. Adriano was also a three-time winner of the Bidone d'Oro award. He was a key figure in Inter's 2005-06 Scudetto win before his career was marked by inconsistency and a decline in his performances which coincided with the death of his father. Adriano moved back to his native Brazil in 2009 and went on to win a Brasileirão with both Flamengo and Corinthians. He retired in 2016 at the age of 34. Adriano made his Brazil debut at 18 and was considered the long-term successor to Ronaldo. He led Brazil to the 2004 Copa América, receiving the Golden Boot as the competition's leading scorer with seven goals. He also won the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup with Brazil, receiving the Golden Boot Award as the competition's leading scorer with five goals. Before the 2006 World Cup, he was part of Brazil's much-vaunted 'magic quartet' of offensive players alongside Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Kaká, which ultimately was not successful at the tournament.