5 footballers whose fall from grace was fast and furious

BALTIMORE - JULY 24: Andriy Shevchenko #7 of Chelsea FC runs onto the field against AC Milan at M & T Bank Stadium on July 24, 2009 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Ned Dishman/Getty Images)
Shevchenko’s time at Chelsea proved to be disastrous to his credentials as a top-notch striker.

#2 Adriano

MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM - MARCH 11:  Adriano of Inter Milan looks on dejectedly during the UEFA Champions League Round of Sixteen, Second Leg match between Manchester United and Inter Milan at Old Trafford on March 11, 2009 in Manchester, England.  (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
The heir apparent to Ronaldo’s crown failed to live up to his billing after impressing early during his time at Inter Milan

When Adriano first broke into the footballing limelight, he was believed to be the heir apparent to the great Brazilian striker Ronaldo. The striker possessed great skill on the ball, had very good close control, could get past the most seasoned of defenders with ease and most importantly knew where the back of the net was.

Having caught numerous eyes during his time at Flamengo, the former Brazilian international was snapped up by the then formidable Inter Milan in the summer of 2001. However, with a rich plethora of talent already available at the San Siro, Adriano spent three seasons on loan which included one year at Fiorentino and three years at Parma, where he further enhanced his reputation.

When he returned to the Inter set up in January of 2004, there was no denying the fact that he was amongst the best in the business. He scored goals for fun, as he found the back of the net 28 times across all competitions in the 2004-05 season and also became a mainstay with the Brazilian national team.

With the player still relatively young, a lot was expected of him, especially with the FIFA World Cup 2016 approaching. However, what the fans of Inter and the Brazilian national team were meted out was simply disappointment as Adriano’s troubled personal life came to the fore.

He was reprimanded regularly by the Nerazzurri hierarchy for being disinterested about playing football and his partying habit proved to be detrimental to his career as he was soon benched by both club and country for his indiscipline.

Adriano’s career has now become a lesson every young footballer is taught for it was his off the field antics that truly made the once world beater seem like another average footballer in a matter of months.

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