The soccer star who flamed out:Freddy Adu was the phenom who was supposed to save American soccer from irrelevance. At age 14, in 2004, he signed a $1 million Nike deal. He did a "Got Milk?" ad. He was on the cover ofTimemagazine. As a player, though, Adu's career didn't work out as everyone expected. He was supposed to be the next Pele. Instead he became a vagabond, traveling the world in search of a team where he could thrive. He never found it. This is a great story about what happens when the hype comes before it’s deserved.(ESPN) "He couldn't cope with it. He believed what he was reading. He believed he was worth all the money he was being paid."
His Wikipedia article is hilarious. He's like a trader losing money for 10 years with 20 different brokers but never admitting to being a shitty trader.
He should have never been put out there at age 14 with professional men. His career was fucked from day one. He may not have been the phenom to save U.S. soccer or next Pele (ridiculous hype) but he could have been a top player for 10-12 years if handled right. His people and parents poorly mismanaged things. I remember going to his first professional game and he had quickness and great skill but as a child the men would simply run him off the ball and knock him down. If this was today he would stayed out of the U.S. and in Europe been in an academy from age 14 to 19 learning the game against same type of players until he was ready to turn pro. That is how Messi and Ronaldo and them did it and they were given time and training to mature into the game. The Adu story is a great lesson in adults only seeing fantasy and money and throwing away the life of a child.