Inter Milan icon Adriano 'misses flight to Istanbul ahead of Champions League final pundit role'

Inter Milan icon Adriano missed his flight to Istanbul to cover the Champions League final between his former side and Manchester City, according to a report in Brazil.

The Brazilian forward scored 73 goals in 163 appearances for Inter, including 28 strikes in all competitions in the 2004/05 campaign.

He won six trophies during his time at the club, including two Scudettos. His form earned him a call-up to the Brazil national team squad for the 2006 World Cup, where he scored twice.

As an ex-Inter star, Adriano was invited to cover tonight's Champions League between his former side and Manchester City in Istanbul.

Inter haven't won the Champions League since 2010, a year after Adriano joined Brazilian side Flamengo.

Adriano 'misses flight'

According to Brazilian outlet Globo, the striker missed his flight to Istanbul, which was scheduled for the last Friday, and will not cover the final as a pundit.

The report claims that 'no one was able to locate Adriano', and that he had been seen the day before 'having fun and drinking at three parties in Rio', with photos of the striker appearing on Instagram account Condominio da MFifi.

It is claimed he was due to cover the final in a punditry role with TNT.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of the match, the Brazilian striker gave his verdict on who he believes will win the final.

He explained: "I believe Inter can beat anyone. We would go to Istanbul with our heads held high and without fear, even though the opponent will be very strong."

Speaking to SPORTbible in 2017, meanwhile, Zlatan Ibrahimovic revealed that on his arrival at Inter, he demanded that the club's president kept Adriano at the club due to his talents.

He explained: "I played with players that I saw were a talent and then became 'WOW', but the one I felt could do it longer, and he didn't do it, was Adriano when I was at Inter.

"When I came to Inter, the first thing I said to the president was, I demanded him to stay because he was the player I wanted to play with. Because, the way he was, he was an animal.

"He could shoot from every angle, nobody could tackle him, nobody could take the ball, he was a pure animal. But it lasted for a short time."

Referencing Adriano's absence on air (as per Torcedores), TNT host Andre Henning stated the Brazilian was not present for 'personal reasons'.

He is quoted as saying: "Unfortunately, Adriano Imperador, who would be another reinforcement, could not be present for personal reasons."