Freddy Adu: Too much, too young for 'wonderkid'?

[Tilla]

Freddy Adu: Too much, too young for 'wonderkid'?
By Ben Dirs
BBC Sport
Yeah, yeah, we know, your boy is a bit handy at football. In fact, he's "special". He's had trials with a Premier League club, he's better than all the other kids - and the coaches think he's special, too.

But I hate to break this to you: he's not going to be "the next Pele". He's probably not even going to be the next Freddy Adu. If you don't believe me, ask Freddy Adu. You do remember Freddy Adu?

Adu was, in his own words, "the footballing wonderkid": signed up by Nike at 13, playing Major League Soccer at 14, turning out for the United States at 16.

Now all washed up, according to some, at 23 - on the rocks at Philadelphia Union when he was supposed to be sizzling under the floodlights at Old Trafford or the Bernabeu or the Nou Camp.

Read more...

[Me]

Either he was never the age they claimed he was or he just simply hasn't physically grown much since his days as an under 17 player.

[Gamma]

he hasn't grown since "14"? hmmmmmm

[Mosiah]

That happens!

[Gamma]

i hear you and feel your "pain" but not even his head??! how often does that happen????

[Mosiah]

hey, it happens! dammit!

[Gamma]

i mean since 14 ..... your head kept growing...and continues to grow even thought the rest of you hasn't

[Mosiah]

You don't know that!

[Mosiah]

I feel it for him though. Can't recall another such sad tale of over-expectations and hype!

[Me]

And this is supposed to be his younger brother. Them really need to go look back into the birth certificate thing.

http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-soc...adu_fro00.html

[Baddaz]

i feel for him too... i think many people resented his early success and hype... from coaches to players to fans of the game... he was never going to be treated fairly or looked at objectively... its like too many people were rooting for his failure rather than for him to be successful... like i said from coaches, to players -teammates and opposition, fans of the game... hope he banks some money and has it invested for his future... it will be even harder on him if he ended up broke... too much resentment...

[Me]

The minute he got so big as a young teen that he thought he could dictate to Nowak how he should play, is the when his career started to fall. And the minute people realized he wasn't going to be special, the supporters disappeared and he was suddenly in a situation he didn't know how to handle.

[Tilla]

The problem is, not may of us thought he was a teen when he came on the scene.

[Gamma]

tank yuh.....for all i know him is abedi pele grandfaada

[Bricktop]

I remember Mo posting on this very forum that Adu was 6'-2" 185 lbs and was a monster...dat bredda love drink the kool aid bwoy