The 42-year-old was considered one of the world's most promising players in the early 2000s before personal issues halted his career.
Former Brazilian and Inter Milan striker Adriano, nicknamed the “Emperor” in his prime, said goodbye to football in a qualifying match at the home of Flamengo, the club where his promising career began .
The 42-year-old was expected to be one of football's greatest players, but eventually overcame the weight of sporting fame and alcohol problems.
The qualification, which was played at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, ended with a 4-3 victory for the “Flamengo Legends” against the “Friends of Italy”.
The event gave Adriano the chance to officially say goodbye, eight years after his last official match, and featured a number of big Brazilian players including striker Romario and goalkeeper Julius Caesar.
His son Adrianinho joined the player who captained 48 times on the field, and scored goals for both teams.
An emotional Adriano was cheered by all the players when the screen showed a message generated by artificial intelligence from his dead father.
Winner of the Copa America in 2004 and the Confederations Cup the following year, at just 22 years old, Adriano gradually disappeared from the radar.
After being a starter at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, he gradually lost his place in the national team and club football, marred by stress and alcohol problems.
He won four Serie A titles with Inter Milan and the Coppa Italia twice. He also played for Italian clubs Roma, Parma and Fiorentina during his career which ended in 2016 after a brief stint with Miami United.
Returning to live in the favela of his youth, in Rio, he spoke about his problems with alcohol last month on the specialist site “The Players' Tribune”.
“Do you know what it's like to be 'hopeful'? I know it. Including being a disappointed hope. Biggest trash in football: Me. I like that word 'trash'… I don't do drugs, because they try to make people believe, I'm not a criminal but, of course, I might have be… I drink every day,” he wrote.
