When the history of American soccer (that's football for most of you) is written, there might well be several chapters set aside for its first genuine superstar. By definition, I mean that very, very rare player who, by virtue of his incomparable skills, had the ability to lift his entire team to dizzying heights only dreamt of previously.
The identity of this messiah of American football could well be a fourteen-year-old forward by the name of Freddy Adu. No, Da Ole Emperor has not been drinking some of the diesel fuel out of one of his Winnebago motor homes.
Trust me on this one; this youngster has that kind of ability. Or as we say over here -- he's the real deal! I must confess that I, too, was one of you doubting Thomases. But after watching him play on videotape I'm now a new and most enthusiastic believer. Never, and I mean never, had I seen such a display of verve, creativity, polished skills and overall knowledge of the game coming out of such a young mind and body. It was electrifying!
But you say you're still not convinced? Well maybe this will ease some of your lingering doubts. Listen to what the current US national coach Bruce Arena has to say about young Mr. Adu: "Freddy's without a doubt the most talented kid we've ever seen at that age...he may be our first superstar. Maybe this is the guy." And, folks, anyone who?s been around Bruce knows he can be quite stingy in handing out compliments. By now, some of you already know why Da Ol? Sport Emperor is taking the time to write about a fourteen year old American footballer, given my emphasis on African sports. I'll give you a hint. The answer lies in Freddy's last name of Adu. Still haven't quite figured out the connection? All right, I'll let you in on a little secret: on June 2, 1989, Freddy Adu was born in Ghana. That's right, his mother, Emelia Adu, gave birth to Freddy in the homeland of our late lamented colleague King Kotey! I?m sure the Gallant Ghanaian's chest is all puffed out now as he watches Freddy's progress from on high!
You see, Freddy's mother won an immigration lottery and soon thereafter the four members of the Adu family, mother, father, Freddy and a younger brother, all settled in the Washington, DC area. The story goes that Freddy?s extraordinary skills with a football were first noticed while he informally played the sport during school recess. Soon thereafter Freddy was playing for a local team where he also caught the attention of practiced eyes, not only in the US but in Italy while he participated in two youth tournaments there.
Officials of Series A powerhouse Inter Milan put their money where their mouth was by offering Adu three quarters of a million dollars to sign on the dotted line. But Freddy's parents spurned the offer, saying their son, barely a teenager, was far too young. The emphasis Freddy's family places on education led to several more rejections of increasingly lucrative offers made by the likes of English premier league teams, Manchester United and Chelsea, as well as Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.
But Momma and Poppa Adu did finally relent, allowing their son to join the US Soccer Federation's residency program where Freddy traded skills with America's other top under-seventeen players. But his parents did so on one condition -- Freddy had to continue his high school education, albeit it at an accelerated pace. Not only did Adu train with the US under seventeen team, he easily made the team and more headlines during FIFA's World U-17 Championships in Finland. In their first match of the tournament, the Americans routed South Korea six-one. And guess who scored a hat trick? None other than the aforementioned Freddy Adu.
Against Sierra Leone, Adu scored the winning goal in a two-one victory. And so it went until the impressive US showing ended in the quarterfinals.
As if that wasn't prestigious enough, a short while later Freddy was added to the US under twenty team at FIFA's World Youth Championships in the United Arab Emirates. And not only did he play extensively until the US was eliminated, Adu again is said to have impressed all while playing as a left flank midfielder.