The figure of the idol, the big name star player, is much, much more important in Brazilian football than it is in England.
A quick example. When earlier this year he instantly put an extra 50,000 on the gate. A crowd of 18,351 had turned up for their previous home game, against Aval, but two weeks later, with Adriano in the team, 68,217 were there to watch the team against Atletico Paranaense.
"The emperor has returned," they sang in celebration - no-one wanted to remember that, in his first spell back in 2000/1 the chant had been very different - "Sell him!" In between he had become a big star, especially for his goals against Argentina, and that was all that mattered.
Similarly, that the sulk act he pulled before leaving the club in 2005 will be forgotten.
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In last month's final against old rivals Alianza Lima, Nolberto Solano rolled home the penalty that confirmed a record 25th Peruvian title for and ensured the club's qualification for the Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of Europe's Champions League.
Last year they came very close to making the knockout stages of the competition but coach Juan Reynoso feels that his squad is stronger now. This, then, is an exiting moment for the club. Solano, though, has decided not to be a part of it.
After flirting with Colchester and offering himself to Newcastle, . Solano, then would rather wind down his career in lower division English football than in his continent's premier club competition.
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Tournaments are like time speeded up - teams can suddenly come together, or fall apart.
Each tournament has its own dynamics, so it would be unwise to draw definitive conclusions for the World Cup from a competition taking place six months earlier.
But if the Africa Cup of Nations is a good opportunity for five World Cup-bound teams to get some competitive match practice, it is also a great chance for their future opponents to do some reconnaissance.
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, pummelled them for 80 minutes without scoring, and then fell to the sucker punch as Diego Maradona produced one of his turn and burst specials, drew the defence and slipped a pass for to round the keeper and score the only goal of the game.
, commentating on Brazil's TV Globo, was not impressed at all. His post-mortem on the goal was along the lines of 'why didn't someone take Maradona out, come across and kick him?'
He was still going on about it a few minutes later, when Maradona cut through again only to be brought down by Brazil captain Ricardo Gomes, who was sent off. 'Why didn't anyone do that the first time?' he said.
It was all very different from the tone struck by on British TV four years earlier. "You have to say that was magnificent," was the grudging but sincere response to Maradona darting and dancing his way through the England defence to score the famous second goal in the 1986 quarter-final.
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Jo's by returning to South America without permission over the Christmas period is not a good sign at all. It sends out a bad message - that Everton's Brazilian striker has fallen off the tightrope.
It's arguable that we are seeing more such acts of inconsistency from players than ever before at the top level of the game, and I am convinced this is no coincidence. On the one hand, football's athletic development and the crowded fixture list mean that the physical and, probably, mental demands are greater than ever.
But on the other hand, so are the rewards. After two years with a major club, a player need never work again. He is surrounded by temptations. Doors open which he never even knew existed when he was a kid. Why bother with all those sacrifices?
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I cover South American football from Brazil. There's a wealth of talent and a rich culture - a fascinating continent to follow football.
