Adriano: “My father died, I no longer had my head. Inter, 3 brothers. Chivu …”

It is available from today, on Dazn: Família – life of an emperor, the exclusive interview with Adriano Leite Ribeiro, a legendary former Brazilian striker and Inter star.

Considered one of the most promising talents in the world, his stay in Serie A has been dotted with successes: with the Nerazzurri, Adriano scored 74 goals in 177 appearances, won three badges, two Italian cups and three Italian Super Cups, putting a mix of technique, power and charisma in the field, quality that earned him the nickname “emperor”.

His journey, however, became a story of falls, which led him to be the emperor of Inter, to a life marked by difficulties that have removed him little by little by football. Família – Life of an emperor is an open -hearted, intimate and touching story, in which the emperor reveals himself as never before: life in the favelas with his family in Brazil, the personal choices, the priests and regrets of an extraordinary career, perhaps ended too early.

On his nickname, Adriano explained how the ” made strange to be called emperor. I come from a favela and after a few years I was called the emperor. It is clear that this makes you think. But if God wanted this, there is nothing to do. Football in Brazil? It serves in favelas. There life is difficult. Children are used to seeing people with the gun or rifle. Sport is important for them, to try to make them think another thing ”.

Retracing the past he then spoke of the return home and farewell to Inter: ” I went to Inter and I went back to Brazil because I missed my family. After my father’s death I no longer had my head to play Inter. It is an event that wounded me so much, I chose to return to Brazil because I no longer had my head and, so, I would have damaged the team and my companions. My father has always done everything for my family and there was no longer, I remained and, as a man, I had to help my family members because they needed me. ”

On personal difficulties: ” People don’t understand what depression is, I seemed the same and everyone, but it was not so. Everyone has their own way of managing this, I had mine. I did what I felt in my heart and head. I don’t care about what people think, my friends and my family were with me in this choice. I am very tied to Zanetti and Cordoba, at Inter they welcomed me as a brother, or like a son. Materazzi did the same thing, he was always with me. They are people who gave me everything to try not to go away from Inter. Even today when I hear them, I am very pleased. ”

Adriano then spoke of the ex -partner and new Inter coach: ”Chivu at Inter? It’s the right profile, I wish him the best. It is not easy to manage a great team like Inter, I wish him to do well. When a young coach arrives, the group welcomes him well, also because in the case of Chivu, he himself was an Inter player. When there is the group, there is everything.

The player who most reminds me of me? I can’t compare myself to Ronaldo or Ronaldinho because they are different roles, so I definitely say Lukaku, play like me. It would have been beautiful to play with Conte “.

“Ancelotti? For us Brazilians it was a right choice, because we do not have the culture to play tactically in the correct way. And in this sense we needed Carlo Ancelotti to have this type of organization, we were not playing in the right way. It will be hard to win the world championship, especially if you don’t have a coach who puts the players in the right place. There are players who have never played together, they are all young and have now started playing together. Being a team, but thanks to his experience he is the man who can do this.