New Inter Milan forward Marcus Thuram has described Nerazzurri icon Adriano as the “most complete” striker of all time.
The France international joined the San Siro club this summer from Borussia Monchengladbach following the expiration of his contract.
Son of the legendary World Cup-winning defender Lilian Thuram, Marcus was hot property this summer, and ultimately settled on the Italian powerhouse.
Born in Parma during his father’s illustrious stint in Emilia-Romagna, Thuram rose through the ranks in France with Sochaux and established himself in senior football at Guingamp, where his burgeoning talents began to attract attention.
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Monchengladbach ultimately landed him in 2019 and the proceeding four years have seen the powerful centre-forward develop into one of the continent’s most devastating and fearful attackers.
In four seasons at Borussia-Park, the 25-year-old bagged 44 goals in 134 games, including 13 in the Bundesliga last term, his best league tally to date, and an indication of his continuing development.
Now in the colours of Inter, the 10-capped France international has been talking about some of his Nerazzurri idols, one of whom, Adriano, he considers to be the “most complete” striker to ever grace the game.
When asked which striker his idol is by Gazzetta dello Sport, Thuram responded: “Adriano, the most complete of all. He knew how to do anything, it’s him I’ve always looked up to.”
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Adriano was unquestionably one of the most brilliant and devastating forwards during his heyday, but his career will also be framed in the context of what could have been. That asterisk is largely attributed to his injury and off-field issues, which contributed to inconsistencies on the pitch.
Nicknamed L’Imperatore (“The Emperor”), Adriano’s style was similar to that of compatriot Ronaldo, with both blessed with world-class dribbling ability, pace and a shooting quality that seemed from another planet.
During his time at the San Siro, Adriano scored 73 goals in 163 games and won two Scudetti, but he never managed to bag more than 16 league goals in a single campaign.
His career, therefore, will always go down as one unfulfilled, but there can be no question that at the height of his power, he was one of the most ruthless, cut-throat and menacing No. 9s world football has ever seen.