Former Brazilian international Adriano has been making headlines recently for the wrong reasons.
A number of reports have surfaced claiming that the former Inter Milan striker, who won the Copa America with Brazil is broke, and has been forced to live in a favela with gang members.
The majority of them cite "sources" in Brazil, sometimes mentioning lawyers as The Daily Star does, and claim that he has had close ties with the Comando Vermelho gang, one of the most dangerous groups in South America.
The main incident which seems to have sparked this story were images of Adriano captured visiting a barber in the favelas in Rio, something which was shared widely on social media.
Hace unos años Adriano era una estrella. Hoy le paga a una banda de narcos para vivir tranquilo en una favela. pic.twitter.com/B9gIz7oDGl
— Valentin Fletcher (@ValeFlet) 30 July 2016
O dinheiro tira o homem da miséria, mais não pode arrancar ele de dentro da Favela!!! Adriano tem meu respeito... pic.twitter.com/HfFSaGkzci
— RACIONAIS VIDA LOKA (@FraseRacionaiss) 4 July 2016
The image was first shared by Adriano himself on his own Instagram profile a number of weeks ago.
As Peru 21 note, a simple look at Adriano's Instagram will show him visiting that barber a few weeks before that too, which he posted with the message "in my community."
His Instagram profile also shows him visiting with family and friends back in Brazil, as well as spending time with his kids at home.
According to Ego in Brazil, which is part of the Globo media group, the image of Adriano with the barber was taken in Vila Cruzeiro, while he also took another image there stating that he would "never forget his roots."
Image: Sean St Ledger with Adriano at a frienly international against Brazil in 2010. ©INPHO/Donall Farmer
Adriano is also still listed as a player for Miami United FC on their website also, but the team seem to be keeping quiet on when he will return to action with them on their social media.
However, after originally reporting the news, Spanish outlet Marca have since taken down their article claiming that he had fallen on hard times and was living in the favelas.
While many outlets have run with the news still, and it's clear that Adriano isn't playing at the ridiculously high level that he once was, it looks as though he isn't quite as bad as living in the favelas and depending on gang members for protection at the moment.
Still, it's a far cry from the level that many thought he would reach when he first burst on to the scene: a player who possessed power, speed and incredible skill, it looked as though the sky was the limit for the young Brazilian.
