Freddy Adu

Biography

Freddy Kofi Adu was born in Tema, a bustling coastal city of Ghana, Africa, on June 2, 1989. As early as age 6, Freddy would join pick-up games on pebbly fields with men three times his age. Apparently, the other players fouled him on purpose, but Freddy claims they were just trying to toughen him up.

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In 1997, Freddy's mother Emelia won the U.S. green card lottery and settled in Potomac, Maryland with Freddy, his brother Fro, and their father, Maxwell. Sadly, Freddy's father soon left home, leaving Emelia as the sole breadwinner. She worked two jobs in order to support her sons.

Both boys loved playing sports at school. But it wasn't until a classmate saw Freddy's soccer skills at recess that he suggested he stop by at a Potomac Soccer Association tournament. Potomac Cougars coach Arnold Tarzy was stunned by the boy's almost instinctive prowess with the ball. Within 48 hours, Freddy joined the team.

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Tarzy took Freddy under his wing and oversaw the boy's development. In 1998, Tarzy took him to Italy with the U.S. Olympic Development Program squad for an under-14 tourney. There he played against the youth teams of Lazio and Juventus, winning the competition. On top of that, Freddy was the top scorer and was named MVP.

When he returned home, his phone rang 10 times a day with offers from European teams. Tarzy arranged a meeting between Emelia and two Inter Milan reps who reportedly offered her $750,000 to take Freddy, but she said he was still too young. Apparently, she had to get an unlisted number to avoid the calls that kept coming in.

freddy adu in us soccer federation

But Emelia could only resist for so long. In 2002, she let Freddy join the United States Soccer Federation's residency program at the IMG Academies in Florida, where he trained with the top 30 under-17 players in the country.

In 2003, when Adu became an American citizen, he was also made a full member of the U.S. team. There he learned the harsh reality that the best players are often the most targeted. Freddy was fouled several times by guys five years his senior. It got to the point that on a CD-ROM put out by the USSF, Freddy was an example of how referees fail to penalize persistent fouls.

Freddy was so good that rumors swirled about his age. People just couldn't believe this wiz was only 13. Doubts were cleared when Sports Illustrated confirmed his age with authorities in Ghana.

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Freddy completed his high school degree at age 14, under an accelerated program for athletes in Florida. In 2004, D.C. United, the team he grew up watching, signed him on a six-year contract. He became the highest-paid player in the MLS, bringing home half a million dollars a year. While he's not in the starting lineup, he has played in almost every match and scored his share of goals. Because of him, D.C. United ticket sales have spiked by 20%.

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Nike jumped onboard, and gave Freddy a $1 million endorsement. Pepsi followed suit, and stuck him in a commercial with the greatest soccer player in history, Pele. And like every good soccer player with a big paycheck, he bought his mother a big house -- and moved in with her.

Freddy now has his sights on playing for the U.S. in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He would be the same age that Pele was when he premiered on the world stage. As for the future, he convinced mom Emelia to let him go to Europe when he turns 18, the minimum age required by FIFA to allow players to go to the EU.