Mario Balotelli considers his former Inter Milan teammate Adriano the strongest footballer he played alongside throughout his career.
The 33-year-old never truly fulfilled his initial promise. However, he represented some of the biggest clubs in Europe early in his career.
The Italian rose to the scene as a teenage sensation at Inter. He then went on to play for Man City, AC Milan and Liverpool.
While he played alongside some of the biggest names in the sport, Balotelli picked Adriano as his strongest teammate.
The two strikers played side-by-side at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. Balotelli picked the Brazilian ahead of the legendary Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“Ibrahimovic is Ibrahimovic, but the strongest player I played with was Adriano. He was absolutely devastating,” said the notorious striker in his interview with TV Play via FcInterNews.
Similar to Balotelli, Adriano couldn’t reach the pinnacle of the sport as many had expected based on his early promise.
Mario Balotelli Identifies Former Inter Milan Star Adriano As His Strongest Teammate Ever
The 41-year-old was a terrific striker who was able to leave defenders in his wake, combining great physical strength with sublime technical skills.
Inter managed to poach Adriano’s signature in 2001. He spent loan stints at Fiorentina and Parma before rejoining the Nerazzurri’s ranks and becoming a protagonist in Roberto Mancini’s team in 2004.
Sadly for the Brazilian, personal demons derailed his career. He tried to revive his playing days in Sao Paulo and AS Roma amongst other clubs but remained a mere shadow of the devastating striker who terrorized Serie A defenses early in his career.