Adriano showed this Saturday (May 15.05) that he couldn't be more motivated to wear the Flamengo jersey. He ran, shot on goal, provided assists, and tackled on the soggy pitch. On a night worthy of the Emperor, who won over the Flamengo fans, he helped the team to a 1-1 draw against Vitória, at Barradão, in the second round of the Brasileirão.

After the match, Gávea's number 10 gave his first interview since being called up by coach Dunga for the World Cup in South Africa. The player emphasized his resilience, revealing that he was obviously upset about his omission from the squad, but expressed confidence in a glorious future.

"Life goes on. I'm a person who always goes through difficulties. This won't be the first, nor will it be the last. It happened. Professor Dunga has his choices. Of course, I was sad that day, but I have to get my head together. I'm 28 years old and I have a lot ahead of me," he said.

And for the Emperor, his World Cup will be decided on Thursday. Flamengo faces Universidad de Chile away from home, needing a two-goal win to advance in the Libertadores. Adriano hopes to help his teammates achieve this result.

"I want to continue helping the Flamengo team. I know this could be my last World Cup, but God didn't want it that way. I have to keep my head up. Now my World Cup is the Libertadores for Flamengo," he concluded.

This season, Adriano's goalscoring average is very good. He's already found the net 14 times in 16 matches. He's also provided five assists, including today's for Vagner Love. Coach Rogério Lourenço, unsurprisingly, heaped praise on the center forward.

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"Adriano is a great player who has been working really hard. As I've always said, he's improving with every match. I'm sure he'll do well on Thursday and I'm confident," he noted.