Adriano Leite Ribeiro Looks to New Life with FC Barcelona

Few comeback stories would be a better to tell than that of Adriano regaining his form and glory at Barcelona.

Well for now it is only speculation, but come summer this transfer could be a topic of hot debate and discussion throughout La Liga and Europe in general.

This story comes after Adriano commented, "Clearly, it would be nice to play for a club like Barcelona, but it is not something that I can think about now."

If this was not a clear indication of things to come, this statement certainly puts any doubts to rest: "The interest of Barcelona came from what I'm doing here in Brazil. I'm enjoying things again and I want to return to play well for a great European club."

The Emperor was once one of the most feared strikers in the world, before the death of his father led to 18 months of devastating personal problems, such as depression and alcoholism.

Unsurprisingly this affected Adriano’s form on-the-pitch and he has been a shadow of his former self in recent times, noticeably heavier and out-of-shape.  

Currently on loan to Sau Paulo, the 25-year-old has started to find his feet again. However it is expected that Inter will sell him in the summer, and there has been talk of a possible swap deal including Ronaldinho with Barcelona.

The first question that is bound to be raised, if the possible transfer does go through, is whether or not Adriano can really find a place in the starting eleven with the likes of Etoo, Messi, Bojan, Dos Santos, and Henry already featuring for the Catalans.

The other question, and perhaps an obvious one, is whether he can become what he was before with Inter Milan. Will his story be of another Ronaldo—although it must be mentioned that Ronaldo was an even bigger star.

One can also question the prudence of Frank Rijkaard and the cataluniya think tank in considering Adriano as an option. There are many positions on the field other than the forward line which needs reinforcements at Nou camp. A world class defender may be the most urgent.