Adriano is a beloved cult hero in footballing folklore.

Adriano's historic shot power

While the great Brazilian might never have reached the world-beating levels that many thought he could achieve, there's no denying that he still left his indelible impact upon the beautiful game.

And if you only took one thing from the fascinating and dramatic career of 'The Emperor' then let it be his astonishing shot power, which saw him score many a spectacular goal over the years.

Varane to Man United Imminent (Football Terrace)

In fact, the dynamite in Adriano's left foot was revered to the extent that he was famously given a rating of 99 for his shot power on Pro Evolution Soccer 4, 5 and 6.

Now, don't get it twisted, there was much, much more to Adriano's game than unleashing screamers, but that didn't make it any less glorious whenever he put everything into a strike.

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Adriano's legendary strike

And arguably the greatest ever goal that Adriano scored came at the home of arguably the biggest club in the world with Inter Milan making the trip to Real Madrid in 2001.

To make the situation all the more incredible, the Bernabeu clash actually marked Adriano's debut for the Italian giants and it speaks volumes that his goal is still remembered all these years on.

Then again, when you watch the goal back - what are you waiting for? - it's easy to understand why football fans still delight in the sheer ferocity of Adriano's free-kick two decades down the line.

A world-record breaker?!

And even the man himself was keen to reflect on that most spectacular of goals during an interview with Inter Milan's official website in 2020, even going so far as making an eye-catching claim.

"I arrived at the Bernabeu. I was wearing Inter’s shirt, Real were the opponents. It was like a dream," the 39-year-old recounted.

“I didn’t need anything more. I went onto the pitch and didn’t think about anything, I played as if I were on that dusty field in Vila Cruzeiro.

“I worked, I played with skill, I did everything. I won a free-kick and the bench said I should take it.

“Do you remember the left foot that used to train on the street and at home, the one that drove my mother crazy? I introduced him to the world with that free-kick. They said it was going 105 miles per hour!”

Steady on, Adriano

That is some serious speed, it must be said, but we're sad to say that we're a little bit doubtful that Adriano's thunderbolt actually reached 105mph when you consider the current world record.

That's because Guinness World Records claim that the title actually belongs to Spaniard Francisco Javier Galan Marin whose 129 km/h (80.1 mph) is listed as the 'fastest football kick' of all time.

And while there's a slight chance that Adriano's shot simply couldn't be recorded properly, it does seem a little far-fetched that he would have blown the world record away by more than 25mph.

Either way, though, there's no escaping the fact that Adriano's blockbuster Bernabeu belter serves as live-proofing that he was the human incarnation of 99 shot power.