It's now confirmed. Flamengo has finalized the signing of striker Adriano. The player will be presented this Thursday at 15 p.m. in the Salão Nobre on the second floor of the Gávea headquarters.

The player – A world soccer star, Adriano returns to Gávea at 27, after playing for three Italian teams (Inter Milan, for several seasons; and Fiorentina and Parma) and a brief stint with São Paulo last year. It was with Milan that he shone most brightly, earning the nickname "Emperor."

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Adriano de Souza Leite was born and raised at Flamengo. Before he even turned 18, on February 2, 2000, he made his professional debut in a draw against Botafogo, part of the Rio-São Paulo Tournament. Four days later, against São Paulo, he was one of the team's standout players, scoring one of the goals in a 5-2 rout, also in the Rio-São Paulo Tournament. Later that year, his physical strength-driven style of play earned praise from Emerson Leão, then coach of the Brazilian national team.

With Flamengo, Adriano was part of the squad that won two competitions in 2001: the third Rio de Janeiro state championship and the Champions League. Before moving to Europe, the last opponent he faced was San Lorenzo of Argentina, on July 28, 2001. He left Gávea with 12 goals in 46 appearances for the red-and-black team.

His first call-up to the Brazilian national team came in 2000. He was a standout player in the 2004 Copa América victory, scoring the equalizer in the final against Argentina in stoppage time. In 2005, Adriano finished top of the scoring charts at the Confederations Cup with seven goals and was named the tournament's best player. At the 2006 World Cup in Germany, he formed a strike partnership with Ronaldo.

In Italy, he started out with Inter Milan, but was soon loaned to Fiorentina and then Parma. In 2004, he scored 15 goals in 16 matches for the Neroazzurri that season. With the Milanese team, he participated in the Italian Cup (2005 and 2006), the Italian Super Cup (2005 and 2006), and the Italian Championship (2006, 2007, and 2008).

Last year, he played for São Paulo, where he scored 16 goals, five of them in the Copa Libertadores. With his loan contract ending, he returned to Inter, where strong performances earned him further call-ups to the Brazilian national team.

In April, the player agreed to amicably terminate his contract with the Italian club and expressed his desire to return to Flamengo. He returns to the club as one of its key reinforcements for the Brazilian championship.

Updated at 19pm.