Ronaldo - O Fenômeno

A cousin of AC Milan striker Ronaldo was among three people killed in a drive-by shooting in Rio de Janeiro, local media reported Sunday.

Igor Nazario de Lima, 23, and two other young men were shot to death while chatting in front of a drug store in the city’s north side late Saturday night, authorities told the Agencia Estado news service and other local media.

Lima worked as a delivery man at the drugstore, local media said.

Ronaldo, who is in Brazil to treat an injury, has not commented on the report.

Police said they had not arrested or identified the suspects. It also wasn’t clear whether the assailants knew Ronaldo’s cousin was at the drug store.

A fourth man was shot but his injuries were not life threatening, local media reported.

Rio de Janeiro is one of the most violent cities in the world, with a homicide rate of about 50 per 100,000 people.

Striker Adriano, who has vowed to avoid the mistakes that cost him “a year of his life,” was photographed partying and drinking in Rio de Janeiro just hours after signing a six-month loan contract with Brazil’s Sao Paulo, local media reported Sunday.

Adriano, who has been training with and receiving counselling at Sao Paulo for the past month, was photographed along with AC Milan striker Ronaldo with beer cans in their hands at a concert in Rio Saturday, the UOL Web portal and other local media reported.

Adriano and Ronaldo, who is in Brazil for treatment for an injury, were seen at a VIP section during the concert of the Brazilian band Jota Quest.

On Friday, Adriano also attended a party in Rio along with veteran striker Edmundo, the Agencia Estado news service and other media reported.

The photos - one of them showing Adriano drinking from the beer can - were taken just hours after he was officially introduced to Sao Paulo fans as the team’s newest acquisition for the 2008 season.

After his introduction, Adriano acknowledged he went though a “moment of depression” after the 2006 World Cup and said he realized he “lost a year of (his) life” because of his mistakes off the field.

Adriano was a starter on the Brazil squad eliminated by France in the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He played only sparingly for Inter Milan since 2006 when his father died and was accused of having an excessive nightlife.

“I don’t deny anything I did last year … I learned a lot with this, but I don’t want go through that again,” Adriano said Friday.

Despite admitting going through difficult times, the striker has always rejected accusations and rumours about drinking problems.

Sao Paulo officials said the club was not worried with Adriano’s actions this weekend because he had been released for the Christmas holiday season.

“We are not going to monitor the player,” director Carlos Augusto de Barros told Agencia Estado. “If there’s no exaggeration, it’s OK. It needs to be under control.”

Inter Milan released Adriano to play for Sao Paulo in the Brazilian championship and Copa Libertadores, Latin America’s premier club competition. Financial details on the agreement were not disclosed.

Ronaldo’s adventure with the Rossoneri is set to end in June along with his current contract.

With a mere six months remaining on his deal, so far neither party has approached the other for the negotiation of a new deal.

General manager Adriano Galliani had declared in previous days that there was no problem with the player, but Ronaldo seems to have lost interest in remaining at Milan.

Instead, rumour has it that he will look for a lucrative final offer in his career to play in the MLS or in Saudi Arabia, as his agents have already starting negotiating with some teams.

His most likely destination would be the Los Angeles Galaxy, where his former team-mate David Beckham would welcome him with arms wide open, but that is not the only team requesting his services.

Ronaldo’s future will most likely be decided in January as Milan will want to know where they stand before going in the transfer market to search for a new attacker

-Source Goal.com