Adriano said he has unfinished business as the former Inter and Brazil star announced plans to return to football.
The 35-year-old has not played since his brief stint with Miami United in 2016 but the Copa America and Confederations Cup champion is eager to make a comeback in 2018.
Compared to countryman and icon Ronaldo at the peak of his career, Adriano never fully fulfilled his potential due to a number of off-field issues.
However, Adriano – who won four Serie A titles with Inter and scored 74 goals in all competitions for the Italian club having also played for Roma, Fiorentina, Parma, Flamengo, Corinthians, Sao Paulo and Atletico Paranaense – wants to end his career on a more satisfying note.
"I'm preparing myself for a new project, I'll be back on training in January. Without a club," Adriano told TV Globo.
"Ever since I stopped, I have succeeded in maintaining my shape. I want this and I know I'll have to persist.
"I want do this for myself, I want to show I can reach my limits so I can tell if I can play or not.
"I couldn't complete my career as a whole. Something's happened and pushed me away from football. I can say [my career] stopped at the half."
Adriano enjoyed great success with Brazil, scoring 29 goals in 50 appearances from 2000-10.
‘I was glad I went to Barcelona, it was a madhouse but it was wonderful – it shouldn’t have been a hard decision to go there, but I was happy at Everton’ Gary Lineker tells FFT about his move from Goodison Park to the Camp Nou
‘As I was delivering the first line in my pants, all I could see in my peripheral vision was four shoulders going up and down, of Alan Shearer and Ian Wright giggling’ Gary Lineker tells FFT about the night he hosted Match of the Day in his underwear
