20 years on from his triumph at the 2004 Copa America in Peru, Adriano is perhaps better known to contemporary football fans for either his legendary avatar on Pro Evolution Soccer 6 or the tragic decline he suffered following the premature death of his father. As dozens of other strikers from across South America seek to dominate the competition this summer, it is worth remembering Adriano at his best through the goals he scored to help Brazil lift the trophy two decades ago. All seven of them cemented the mythic status of the striker, who finished four ahead of his nearest competitors.
The story of each of these goals are told below, each one adding to the clamour that built up around the tournament which would define him as the successor to Ronaldo and identify him as a potential future global superstar striker with a game-breakingly powerful left foot.
Prior to July 2004, Adriano was some way away from this status in Brazilian minds. His two goals in the 2003 Confederations Cup were not enough to escape the ire of the press and the favourites exited at the group stage. With the World Cup in Germany two years away, the pressure was on Adriano to stake his claim in the starting XI. There was no subtext to this Copa America being an audition since Carlos Alberto Parreira had set up Brazil in a 4312 formation and rested the iconic Brazilian number 9 for the tournament - a slot alongside Ronaldo in Germany was up for grabs.
Brazil struggled to dominate against Chile in the opener, winning 1-0 but three days on from this underwhelming beginning, Adriano opened his Copa America account with a wonderful hat trick against one of the tournament guests, Costa Rica
Fenerbahce legend Alex, who finished the game with three assists, combined with Adriano for the opener which felt like a scruffier left-footed version of Dennis Bergkamp’s mythic goal against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup. A perfectly weighted long range pass from the Turkey based playmaker was gracefully received by Adriano whose first touch killed the ball and a second blasted the ball into the roof of the net. It was a goal that demonstrated Adriano’s all round skill as a striker - his legendarily powerful left foot was also capable of sublime touches.
An Alex corner set up Adriano’s second and the hattrick was completed in the 68th minute following good work on the left flank from Roberto Carlos apprentice, Gustavo Nery. Adriano had arrived at the tournament, the apprentice scoring three just a month after the master, Ronaldo had scored a treble of penalties against Argentina in a World Cup Qualifier.
The beaches West of Piura are a Mecca for tourists and surfers alike and the Mexican team seemed slightly on their sunloungers in the first half of this knockout tie. 26 minutes in, Adriano was felled by goalkeeper Oswaldo Sánchez and Alex stepped up to put Brazil 1-0 up.
Unfortunately for Rafael Marquez and the rest of the Mexico defence, Adriano had only just started to wax his board. Twenty minutes after the restart the ever influential Alex intercepted the ball deep into his own half. He carried the ball forward thirty metres as Adriano sprinted ahead whilst peeling away from his marker. The ball was released at the perfect moment as Adriano received it on his left foot just outside the penalty area. A curious pause followed as the Brazilian striker, almost like a heavyweight southpaw, sized up his knockout blow. Adriano put all of his body into the low strike which sailed perfectly into the bottom corner of the goal.
Adriano’s second goal was perhaps caused by the fear of the first as he turned and burst past both defenders to latch onto a bouncing long ball and slot home. Adriano even had time to set up a late fourth before the curtain came down on a dominant quarter final performance.
The first half could barely have gone worse for Adriano and Uruguay went into the break 1-0 ahead. Adriano wasn’t called L'Imperatore [the emperor] for nothing, however, and from the 45th minute onwards he led the team imperiously. He made no mistake turning in his strike partner, Luis Fabiano’s wayward shot just one minute after the restart to take him to six goals for the tournament.
Neither team could break the deadlock and a penalty shootout decided who would make the final of the Copa. This was Brazil’s first competitive shootout since they defeated Holland in the 1998 World Cup. The first penalty converted in this game was a glorious top corner blast by Ronaldo’s right foot. With the spotlight shining on Adriano in Peru’s capital, could the understudy match the star?
Like Ronaldo, Adriano was ruthless when it mattered and slotted his penalty away. To emphasise the almost mirror-like quality of the comparison of the two strikers, Adriano’s left foot did the job. With an equalising goal and penalty shootout success, Brazil now had two strikers on their books who could take centre stage.
The final gave Adriano his toughest opponent by some distance as he came up against a Marcelo Bielsa helmed Argentina. Whilst much of the Brazilian side were unproven, Argentina had brought together experience and youth with Javier Zanetti leading the team on the pitch, complimented by rising stars such as Carlos Tevez.
In the early stages, Brazil struggled to cope with Argentina’s Bielsa inspired press. Adriano, however, didn’t vanish under this pressure - throughout the first half, he put his body on the line to help his team get at least some time with the ball and his strength and ability in the air defending set pieces also helped to limit the damage. This was no self-centred starlet, he was a team player driving his teammates forward by example and, crucially, could offer something slightly different to Ronaldo - a physical presence.
The resistance to the Bielsa inspired onslaught paid off on the cusp of half time as Luisao made up for his previous error and headed in Brazil’s equaliser. The second half followed a similar pattern to the first but neither side could find a winner and, as the minutes ticked away both sides resorted to the dark arts to gain an advantage.
During this period Adriano went into heavyweight boxer mode: often getting up off the deck as soon as he was felled before matching his aggressors as soon as he could. His words in his famous 2021 Players Tribune piece very much speaking to the actions on the Lima pitch:
‘When the ball comes to your feet, and you have two big centre backs trying to kill you, it’s not a race.
It’s a fight. It’s a street fight.’
Despite Adriano winning most encounters with the Argentina defence on points, in the 87th minute, disaster stuck as tired defending in the box allowed Cesar Delgado to put Argentina 2-1 up
Perhaps knowing they had the most in form striker on the planet up front, Brazil’s heads did not drop. That said, Adriano entered the final minute of added time on the cusp of another international failure. As yet another ball into the Argentinian box was not dealt with, Adriano, with his back to goal, teed up a rebounded clearance with his left foot before volleying it sweetly into the bottom corner of the net. He wheeled away, peeling his shirt off, spinning it around his head in seventh heaven. Bielsa cut a despondent figure as the travelling Brazilian fans jumped up, down and sideways in the stands celebrating their new hero.
Brazil’s body language completely changed in extra time and the intensity of Argentina’s approach over ninety was showing its effect. No winner was forthcoming and Adriano and his Brazilian teammates had to prove their metal in a penalty shoot-out once more. Andre D’Alessandro had his penalty saved giving Brazil an early advantage.
Adriano, every inch L'Imperatore walked confidently up to the penalty spot, opened his body up and smashed the ball into the left hand corner to put Brazil 1-0 up. Heinze blasted his penalty over and Brazil scored each of their spot kicks that followed to win the Copa America.
Shortly after the final whistle, Adriano described the win as “the greatest moment in my career." and, two years later he would go on to partner Ronaldo at the 2006 World Cup.
With hindsight, it is easy to see Copa America 2004 with a healthy dose of melancholy since it would remain the zenith of Adriano’s footballing life despite him only just bursting onto the global scene aged twenty two. The seven goals he scored in Peru, however, will always remain and whenever the Copa America comes around, the world is allowed to remember Adriano as the wonderful player he was, not the superstar he failed to become.