Luiz Adriano

Internacional

Luiz Adriano caught the eye of European clubs with his performances for Internacional in December 2006 at the FIFA Club World Cup. He notably scored the deciding goal for Internacional in their 2–1 win over Al Ahly during the semi-final round of the competition. In the final against European champions Barcelona, Luiz Adriano came on as a late substitute and played a vital role in Adriano Gabiru's 82nd-minute winner.

Shakhtar Donetsk

Luiz Adriano was transferred to Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk on 2 March 2007 for a reported €3 million transfer fee (R$8,128,830). On 19 March 2007, he made his debut in the Ukrainian Premier League against city rivals Metalurh Donetsk, at the age of 19 years 11 months and 7 days. It took almost one year, however, for Luiz Adriano to score his first goal for the club, netting in the 94th minute of a 4–1 win over Metalist Kharkiv on 15 March 2008. On 28 August 2008, Adriano scored his first goal in Europe, netting his side's opening goal in their 3–1 second-leg victory over Dinamo Zagreb to secure a place in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. He scored the opening goal of the 2009 UEFA Cup Final which Shakhtar won 2–1 over Werder Bremen after extra time. On 16 February 2011, Luiz Adriano scored the winning goal against Roma in a 3–2 away victory during the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. On 7 May 2011, he scored his 50th Shakhtar goal in a 2–0 league win over Metalurh Donetsk.

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In March 2013, Luiz Adriano indicated that he would be likely to accept a call-up for Ukraine national team if asked. He did not, however, have a Ukrainian passport when he was representing Brazil youth team, which made him ineligible to countries other than Brazil (or his ancestral countries). On 23 October 2014, Luiz Adriano was called up to the Brazil national team for the first time for friendlies against Turkey and Austria in November. He debuted on 12 November against Turkey, playing 73 minutes of a 4–0 win before being replaced by fellow debutant Roberto Firmino.

Although he is capable of playing in other offensive positions, Luiz Adriano usually plays as a main striker, and is known for his technique, consistency, and composure in front of goal. A quick player who can score with both feet, he is also capable of using his physique to hold up the ball with his back to goal in order to bring his teammates into play. He is also known for his positional sense and ability to play off the last defender and make attacking runs to beat the offside trap. According to Luiz Adriano's former coach Mircea Lucescu at Shakhtar, "He is one of those players, who rarely gets injured. He is a powerful footballer; he plays great in the air. Despite the fact that he is not tall, Adriano plays as if his height is about two meters! He fights for the ball in the penalty area, always looking for opportunities to net a goal. He is a proper striker."

Luiz Adriano's father worked as a security guard at a chemical plant, and his mother was a housewife. His parents are divorced. He has two brothers, Murillo, who is also a footballer, and Fabiano, and two sisters, Patricia and Caroline. His childhood idols include Romário and Ronaldo. He has four tattoos, one on his hand, one on his back, one on his arm and one on his neck.