Inter bad boy Adriano handed three-match ban

Adriano will miss Inter Milan's next three games

After depression, alcoholism and then reflection, Inter’s troublesome striker Adriano still appears to be off the rails after throwing a punch during Inter Milan’s win against Sampdoria at the San Siro on Sunday.

The barbarous incident took place in the penalty box where Adriano punched Sampdoria’s Daniele Gastadello in the stomach. The incident was completely missed by the referee, but after the use of video evidence, the Italian Football League reached the decision that the Brazilian was guilty of violent conduct and would therefore miss three matches.

Despite a poor performance, Adriano managed to snatch the only goal of the game that helped maintain Inter’s three-point lead at the top of Serie A, ahead of Claudio Ranieri’s Juventus. And fortunately he will return in time for the Milan derby on February 15th.

Both on and off the pitch, Adriano has a history of misconduct and poor physical conditioning. A recent major heartbreaking moment was his father’s death in 2007, and in the last couple of years the 26-year-old turned to alcohol, which did little for his performances on the pitch. Some notable recent events were the head-butting of Santos full-back Domingos in February last year, and a verbal outburst at a photographer a few days later at a training session.

After every incident the big Brazilian always states that he will get back on track and live up to the reputation of the player that he once was. But with the fact that he has recently been irritating manager Jose Mourinho with his evident lack of dedication and commitment, the Brazilian striker has been linked with a move to Chelsea.

This latest incident could well mark the the end of Adriano’s stint in Serie A, especially after being sent out on loan last season, only to return to Inter and rarely get a place in the starting line-up.