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December 4, 2007, 5:42 pm Q&A: Freddy Adu
By Jack Bell
Tags: Adu, Champions League, MLS, U 20
Freddy Adu left the United States and Major League Soccer to seek fame and fortune in Europe, playing for Benfica of Portugal. Adu, who was signed by M.L.S. in 2004 at age 14, was assigned to DC United, but expectations weighed heavily on Adu, who was traded to Real Salt Lake before the 2006 season. His strong play for the United States at last summer’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada hastened his move to Europe. Adu, 18, spoke with The New York Times last week, a day before a 1-1 draw with AC Milan of Italy in a European Champions League game. Benfica failed to advance past the group stage of that tournament.
Q: The obvious first question is how are things going in Lisbon?
A: Things are going pretty well. I’m adjusting pretty well to living in a different country. At first not to sure about it. But I guess I have to grow up sometime. I made the jump and could not be happier I made the jump. It was really out of necessity because I needed to learn to grow up. I’m living here by myself, my mom has gone back and forth on visits, but I have to take care of a lot of things by myself. It’s kind of exciting.
Q: You said you were not sure about the move to Europe. What concerned you?
A: I just didn’t know about living in a different country. In America, it was like I was in a bubble. We pretty much have everything, it’s all there for you. That’s our culture. Yeah, I wasn’t too sure if it was the right move, I didn’t know if I’m ready. It’s one thing to talk about it and I’ve always said I wanted to go to Europe when I was 18. Then the opportunity came along and it was a matter of thinking about it and just being a man and saying I want to be best I can be and I want to make this work.
Q: So how’s your Portuguese?
A: I’m not really taking lesson, I’ve sort of just picked it up just being around the guys. I have a friend on the team who’s from Mozambique and he speaks perfect Portuguese and English, so we can hold conversations. It helps.
Q: Tell me about some of the challenges you’ve been dealing with since you joined Benfica.
A: There have definitely been challenges, but it’s mostly because it’s just a different culture. The thing is that when you move out of the United States there is always going to be some kind of culture shock wherever you go. It’s just different. But you need to grow up. This is what we dream about growing up - going to Europe when the opportunity arises. I didn’t want to let it slip by. I’ve had opportunities before but I didn’t feel that I was ready. When I turned 18, I started to make a lot of my own decision. I’m a grown man. My parents and family helped in decision-making process, but at end of day you have to make decisions for yourself.
This is a great opportunity. I want to play. I know the history of Benfica. I try to stay positive. This is a great place to study and learn. My goal to be one of best and as good as I can be. That is what drives me. I want to make this work. The level of play is great and this is the right place for me right now.
Q: Compare the experience of living and playing in a foreign country to traveling with, say, some United States national teams.
A: I’ve never lived in any other country long enough, in my short life, to have noticed this before. When you live somewhere and you’re comfortable, like having a house, you get into the routine of doing day-to-day stuff and you feel more comfortable and things really aren’t so different.
When I traveled with regional teams to England, it just felt different to me. We were in hotels, playing games and then going home. But when you live in the place there is really nothing different about it except the language and the culture. Everything else is pretty much the same. It’s very modern here. And right now I feel comfortable living life normally. The football is going great. I hope to keep learning and keep getting playing time. I just want to make a difference.
Q: What do you miss most?
A: Just being close to my family. Friends and family have been here for visits and that helps. And I’ve got e-mail, IM and the phone. We’re going to make this work. When I went to the national team camp I found about this Slingbox thing, and that has helped a lot to keep in touch with all that goes on. It feels like home.
Q: How do the styles of play differ and other different approaches from your new team to teams in M.L.S.?
A: The first thing, in Europe you would not survive at a place like this unless you pay attention to every single detail and work hard every day. You never know when you’re going to be in the team. You find out the day before the game after training. It’s a very competitive environment and everyone is good. Your place in the team is never guaranteed. You have to come work everyday, and it makes you a better player, the constant competition. Either you respond to it or you don’t. Maybe before, in the past, I would have responded differently. But now I’m just trying to mature and learn from mistakes and keep working harder and harder and grab the opportunities when they come. I believe hard work pays off. I really believe in that. One thing that has changed in me: I kill myself every day in training, and I think most of the guys do the same thing. It makes playing in a game easier because you work so hard in training. The game feels like a rest.
Q: What kind of reception did you receive when you first arrived in Lisbon?
A: When I got here I think all the players knew about me because most had paid attention to U-20 tournament. They knew the kind of player I was. I just don’t know exactly what their personal thoughts were about me. When I got here they were awesome and accepted me. It helped that we have some players who speak English. They went out of their way for me, it was unbelievable. It felt like a family.
Q: Early in the season, the team dropped Fernando Santos as coach and hired Jose Antonio Camacho. As you know, that often means that players acquired by the previous coach end up on the outside looking in when the new guy gets settled. Has that concerned you?
A: That goes for everybody on the team when a new coach comes in, you just have to get out there and prove to the coach right away that you deserve to be there and show him what you’ve got. Some coaches come in and say these are not my players, but you just have to show that you belong.
For me, nothing really changed. I arrived with an attitude that I’m going to kill myself and prove I deserve to be here. I’m not naïve. I knew what I was getting in to. I was in M.L.S. at 14 and a lot of people expected me to be Pele. That’s what it was. I wasn’t, and in turn that made a lot of people write me off. You know, that stuff doesn’t bother me. I know how hard I work. What I do day in and day out in training. I remember what went on and how weird it seems now that all that happened to me before my 18th birthday. I mean that sort of stuff happens to people in their mid-20s. It was tough to deal with it. But when your back is against the wall you have to step up.
Q: Are you happy with your role right now with Benfica, mostly coming off the bench?
A: My main goal is to work as hard as I can to get into starting 11. I’m not going to complain. I know my time will come. I’m at a big club, the biggest in Portugal and one of biggest in the world. I’ll just keep working hard so I’ll be ready when the coach calls. Whatever he wants me to do, two, five, 30, 90 minutes, whatever, I’m going to go out with the same mentality and help the team win. Hopefully I’ll get in the starting 11 sooner rather than later. I’m happy with my development where everything is at right now.
Q: After having played and seen some games in the league and in the European Champions League, how would you compare the competition?
A: The league in Portugal is very good, but the Champions League is for the best clubs in the world and it’s a different level. The only thing bigger is World Cup. The Champions League is at a different level, things move faster and you have to be prepared for it. We have the players to do well, but we just have to finish our chances and we haven’t been able to. [Benfica will not advance past the group stage of the Champions League, but will play in the UEFA Cup.]
Q: Which stadium or trip has been the most impressive so far?
A: The best stadium I’ve been in so far has been Celtic’s stadium in Glasgow. Oh my goodness, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. The fans were just singing nonstop all game. It was so loud you can’t hear anything. We have amazing amazing fans, they are awesome, but being away from home, the loudest and most intimidating environment I’ve been to was at Celtic. They go crazy. They would sing the whole game, so loud. It was a great, great environment. I enjoyed being there really and wanted to play, too.
Q: You didn’t seem to get much attention from the national team after the U-20 tournament. Were you surprised you were picked for the trip to South Africa last month?
A: Yes and no. I think I made enough of an impression in the Switzerland game to get a look. I was very honored to be selected to that game in South Africa. Every time you get a chance to be on the national team you always want to make impression, and that’s the mentality I went to camp with.
Q: Has the position you’ve been playing at Benfica altered how and where you play for the national team?
A: At Benfica I move around. Left, right wing, second forward, midfield. There is a lot of flexibility in our positions and we have more freedom to move around. You see a lot of the ball, regardless of position. When I was with the national team both times recently, I played as a second forward. It’s been awesome and I really enjoyed it. These days where ever the coach puts you have got to play. Everything is very competitive. You can’t just walk in and have a spot.
Q: How important is it to you to be on the U.S. team for the 2010 World Cup?
A: I would be really disappointed if I’m not on the team. It is a goal of mine that I really, really want to achieve. I’ll do whatever it takes. It not, it wouldn’t kill my confidence and kill who I am, but I would be disappointed. I’m going to work hard and do whatever Bob [Coach Bob Bradley] asks me to do.
Q: You were with another young player, Jozy Alitdore in South Africa. And while the national team was there, there were reports that Real Madrid was interested in him. Did Jozy seek you out for any advice?
A: Well, he asked me how it was like being in Benfica and I told him it was great. I told him what I could, that at first I wasn’t sure about my decision because I was moving to a different country with a different language. But I also told him that everything has worked out fine.
About Real Madrid, I told him that we have to think about all these things. For me, I made the decision to go to Benfica because I knew it was a place I would play and get an opportunity to grow up. The spotlight won’t be on you as much as you learn and become a better player. It’s important to take things one step at a time. All this stuff plays a big role in the decision-making process. If you’re leaving M.L.S. for Europe you want to go to a place where you have a chance to play, grow up and mature as a player and as a person. Hopefully, the move for me will help me achieve my long-term goal of being one of the best players to play the sport. But first, you have to be one of best on your team. It starts with your team and them moves on.
Q: So what comes next?
A: I’m not thinking about that right now. I’m very, very happy with where I am right now. I love the fans and I love the support that everyone gives me. It’s really appreciated. I’m not thinking about anything else right now other than just keep improving, getting better as a player. Whatever happens in future happens. Right now I’m just
By Jack Bell
Tags: Adu, Champions League, MLS, U 20
Freddy Adu left the United States and Major League Soccer to seek fame and fortune in Europe, playing for Benfica of Portugal. Adu, who was signed by M.L.S. in 2004 at age 14, was assigned to DC United, but expectations weighed heavily on Adu, who was traded to Real Salt Lake before the 2006 season. His strong play for the United States at last summer’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada hastened his move to Europe. Adu, 18, spoke with The New York Times last week, a day before a 1-1 draw with AC Milan of Italy in a European Champions League game. Benfica failed to advance past the group stage of that tournament.
Q: The obvious first question is how are things going in Lisbon?
A: Things are going pretty well. I’m adjusting pretty well to living in a different country. At first not to sure about it. But I guess I have to grow up sometime. I made the jump and could not be happier I made the jump. It was really out of necessity because I needed to learn to grow up. I’m living here by myself, my mom has gone back and forth on visits, but I have to take care of a lot of things by myself. It’s kind of exciting.
Q: You said you were not sure about the move to Europe. What concerned you?
A: I just didn’t know about living in a different country. In America, it was like I was in a bubble. We pretty much have everything, it’s all there for you. That’s our culture. Yeah, I wasn’t too sure if it was the right move, I didn’t know if I’m ready. It’s one thing to talk about it and I’ve always said I wanted to go to Europe when I was 18. Then the opportunity came along and it was a matter of thinking about it and just being a man and saying I want to be best I can be and I want to make this work.
Q: So how’s your Portuguese?
A: I’m not really taking lesson, I’ve sort of just picked it up just being around the guys. I have a friend on the team who’s from Mozambique and he speaks perfect Portuguese and English, so we can hold conversations. It helps.
Q: Tell me about some of the challenges you’ve been dealing with since you joined Benfica.
A: There have definitely been challenges, but it’s mostly because it’s just a different culture. The thing is that when you move out of the United States there is always going to be some kind of culture shock wherever you go. It’s just different. But you need to grow up. This is what we dream about growing up - going to Europe when the opportunity arises. I didn’t want to let it slip by. I’ve had opportunities before but I didn’t feel that I was ready. When I turned 18, I started to make a lot of my own decision. I’m a grown man. My parents and family helped in decision-making process, but at end of day you have to make decisions for yourself.
This is a great opportunity. I want to play. I know the history of Benfica. I try to stay positive. This is a great place to study and learn. My goal to be one of best and as good as I can be. That is what drives me. I want to make this work. The level of play is great and this is the right place for me right now.
Q: Compare the experience of living and playing in a foreign country to traveling with, say, some United States national teams.
A: I’ve never lived in any other country long enough, in my short life, to have noticed this before. When you live somewhere and you’re comfortable, like having a house, you get into the routine of doing day-to-day stuff and you feel more comfortable and things really aren’t so different.
When I traveled with regional teams to England, it just felt different to me. We were in hotels, playing games and then going home. But when you live in the place there is really nothing different about it except the language and the culture. Everything else is pretty much the same. It’s very modern here. And right now I feel comfortable living life normally. The football is going great. I hope to keep learning and keep getting playing time. I just want to make a difference.
Q: What do you miss most?
A: Just being close to my family. Friends and family have been here for visits and that helps. And I’ve got e-mail, IM and the phone. We’re going to make this work. When I went to the national team camp I found about this Slingbox thing, and that has helped a lot to keep in touch with all that goes on. It feels like home.
Q: How do the styles of play differ and other different approaches from your new team to teams in M.L.S.?
A: The first thing, in Europe you would not survive at a place like this unless you pay attention to every single detail and work hard every day. You never know when you’re going to be in the team. You find out the day before the game after training. It’s a very competitive environment and everyone is good. Your place in the team is never guaranteed. You have to come work everyday, and it makes you a better player, the constant competition. Either you respond to it or you don’t. Maybe before, in the past, I would have responded differently. But now I’m just trying to mature and learn from mistakes and keep working harder and harder and grab the opportunities when they come. I believe hard work pays off. I really believe in that. One thing that has changed in me: I kill myself every day in training, and I think most of the guys do the same thing. It makes playing in a game easier because you work so hard in training. The game feels like a rest.
Q: What kind of reception did you receive when you first arrived in Lisbon?
A: When I got here I think all the players knew about me because most had paid attention to U-20 tournament. They knew the kind of player I was. I just don’t know exactly what their personal thoughts were about me. When I got here they were awesome and accepted me. It helped that we have some players who speak English. They went out of their way for me, it was unbelievable. It felt like a family.
Q: Early in the season, the team dropped Fernando Santos as coach and hired Jose Antonio Camacho. As you know, that often means that players acquired by the previous coach end up on the outside looking in when the new guy gets settled. Has that concerned you?
A: That goes for everybody on the team when a new coach comes in, you just have to get out there and prove to the coach right away that you deserve to be there and show him what you’ve got. Some coaches come in and say these are not my players, but you just have to show that you belong.
For me, nothing really changed. I arrived with an attitude that I’m going to kill myself and prove I deserve to be here. I’m not naïve. I knew what I was getting in to. I was in M.L.S. at 14 and a lot of people expected me to be Pele. That’s what it was. I wasn’t, and in turn that made a lot of people write me off. You know, that stuff doesn’t bother me. I know how hard I work. What I do day in and day out in training. I remember what went on and how weird it seems now that all that happened to me before my 18th birthday. I mean that sort of stuff happens to people in their mid-20s. It was tough to deal with it. But when your back is against the wall you have to step up.
Q: Are you happy with your role right now with Benfica, mostly coming off the bench?
A: My main goal is to work as hard as I can to get into starting 11. I’m not going to complain. I know my time will come. I’m at a big club, the biggest in Portugal and one of biggest in the world. I’ll just keep working hard so I’ll be ready when the coach calls. Whatever he wants me to do, two, five, 30, 90 minutes, whatever, I’m going to go out with the same mentality and help the team win. Hopefully I’ll get in the starting 11 sooner rather than later. I’m happy with my development where everything is at right now.
Q: After having played and seen some games in the league and in the European Champions League, how would you compare the competition?
A: The league in Portugal is very good, but the Champions League is for the best clubs in the world and it’s a different level. The only thing bigger is World Cup. The Champions League is at a different level, things move faster and you have to be prepared for it. We have the players to do well, but we just have to finish our chances and we haven’t been able to. [Benfica will not advance past the group stage of the Champions League, but will play in the UEFA Cup.]
Q: Which stadium or trip has been the most impressive so far?
A: The best stadium I’ve been in so far has been Celtic’s stadium in Glasgow. Oh my goodness, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. The fans were just singing nonstop all game. It was so loud you can’t hear anything. We have amazing amazing fans, they are awesome, but being away from home, the loudest and most intimidating environment I’ve been to was at Celtic. They go crazy. They would sing the whole game, so loud. It was a great, great environment. I enjoyed being there really and wanted to play, too.
Q: You didn’t seem to get much attention from the national team after the U-20 tournament. Were you surprised you were picked for the trip to South Africa last month?
A: Yes and no. I think I made enough of an impression in the Switzerland game to get a look. I was very honored to be selected to that game in South Africa. Every time you get a chance to be on the national team you always want to make impression, and that’s the mentality I went to camp with.
Q: Has the position you’ve been playing at Benfica altered how and where you play for the national team?
A: At Benfica I move around. Left, right wing, second forward, midfield. There is a lot of flexibility in our positions and we have more freedom to move around. You see a lot of the ball, regardless of position. When I was with the national team both times recently, I played as a second forward. It’s been awesome and I really enjoyed it. These days where ever the coach puts you have got to play. Everything is very competitive. You can’t just walk in and have a spot.
Q: How important is it to you to be on the U.S. team for the 2010 World Cup?
A: I would be really disappointed if I’m not on the team. It is a goal of mine that I really, really want to achieve. I’ll do whatever it takes. It not, it wouldn’t kill my confidence and kill who I am, but I would be disappointed. I’m going to work hard and do whatever Bob [Coach Bob Bradley] asks me to do.
Q: You were with another young player, Jozy Alitdore in South Africa. And while the national team was there, there were reports that Real Madrid was interested in him. Did Jozy seek you out for any advice?
A: Well, he asked me how it was like being in Benfica and I told him it was great. I told him what I could, that at first I wasn’t sure about my decision because I was moving to a different country with a different language. But I also told him that everything has worked out fine.
About Real Madrid, I told him that we have to think about all these things. For me, I made the decision to go to Benfica because I knew it was a place I would play and get an opportunity to grow up. The spotlight won’t be on you as much as you learn and become a better player. It’s important to take things one step at a time. All this stuff plays a big role in the decision-making process. If you’re leaving M.L.S. for Europe you want to go to a place where you have a chance to play, grow up and mature as a player and as a person. Hopefully, the move for me will help me achieve my long-term goal of being one of the best players to play the sport. But first, you have to be one of best on your team. It starts with your team and them moves on.
Q: So what comes next?
A: I’m not thinking about that right now. I’m very, very happy with where I am right now. I love the fans and I love the support that everyone gives me. It’s really appreciated. I’m not thinking about anything else right now other than just keep improving, getting better as a player. Whatever happens in future happens. Right now I’m just