What REALLY Happened To Freddy Adu?
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- čas přidán 29. 03. 2021
- At the age 14, Freddy Adu was already the highest paid player in Major League Soccer, starring in commercials alongside Pele, and being tipped to become the greatest footballer the United States had ever produced.
Now aged 31, Adu is once again a free agent, having just been released by Swedish third tier side Österlen FF.
So in this documentary, HITC Sevens takes a deep dive into Freddy Adu's rise and fall, the role of the MLS, his age dispute, and what really happened to the greatest soccer player that never was. - Sport
I didn’t know this, now Adu
Hahaaaaaaaa.............Thanks pal.
Get off the stage
boooo
Nice!
LOL
You kidding me? You have any idea how many trophies he won me on Championship Manager? Forever grateful to the guy!
Was literally scrolling the comments looking for a CM one!! 🤣😎
Lmao same he was the best player by far 🤣
Mark Kerr
lol i feel you on that,he was the best player to develop to a senior player that never existed.
yup, same thing with me
I remember my sister saying “no one should be that hyped for a 14 year old.” She was right.
Justin Bieber enters the chat
Nope he should have gone to Europe, when they came for him that young.
did u actually like the video
Edu needed better guidance in his early years in DC but he helped to raise expectations that soccer would catch on in the USA, which it certainly has. Sadly , he has now become like a punch drunk boxer.
It was like everybody hated him. The money he got wasn’t much actually but everybody was getting far less. Jordan Morris got hype and is not near Adu but gets treated better. Coaches worried about what Adu is thinking of treating him like a regular player and playing him. Adu was in a no win situation.
I played in the ODP program at the same time as Adu. He was clearly at another level even at 12 years old. The ODP program wasn't nearly as good and productive at teaching the game and tactics as what it should have been. I learned more watching the EPL then I did from our coaches. He would have been far better off going to Europe and entering an academy where he didn't have all the eyes on him as he did in the US. He could have developed and had the best teachers of the game to help him succeed. Good piece I love these I stream them like Netlfix
IF he joined AFC Ajax from The Netherlands he could have been a great player, it is the world's best academy
@@rswpt not a doubt man. Don't get me wrong, I had fun from the benefits of the ODP program back then. However, at that time in the US, the Olympic Development Program or ODP was really the only true youth academy to filter players in the US. I know some MLS clubs have programs and more euro clubs are scouting here now. Had Adu gone to Ajax he may have really become a stud.
The official word is that he ages in reverse, much like Benjamin Button, while confoundingly still increasing in speed, strength, and agility. When the World Cup comes home in 2026, Freddy Adu will be about 11 years old but with the goal scoring capacity of Pele fused with Super Saiyan Goku fused again with John Wick but specifically John Wick at the moment he first learns his wife was murdered.
What advice would you give a young person to get into the ODP program?
@justtestingonce idk if I would honestly. I think there are better club programs you can find in the states now. I'd say do your research first, see what coaches are where and see what fits the child best. My game flourished under a different coach in club, got offers for college then blew my Achilles that was that lol
Shame how he's career went just shows how pressure can ruin somebody especially being dubbed as the next coming of one of the greatest footballers of all time
It wasn’t pressure! The mls spoilt him they didn’t want him to work hard the Americans are desperate for a football ‘star’
@Adrien Okoye not pressure people just gave him false hope there’s no way a 14 year old should be a given big money simple fact is he knew he didn’t have to work hard for a career at a very young age you can easily tell he was spoilt he had a bad attitude and now he obviously regrets it hence why he wants people to pity him
I'm a Benfica supporter and I can tell you that as far as I remember, Adu was doing relatively well at Benfica. He wasn't a starter very often, but frequently was one of the first attacking options to go on to the field when needed (ahead of a very young Di Maria) and ended up scoring a couple of goals in the League, which isn't that great, but Benfica supporters were happy enough with his performances and believed he could eventually develop into a decent starter. In the begining there was a lot more hype about him coming to Benfica than about the signing of Di Maria. The fact that at the end of the season Adu requested to be loaned out was one of the main reasons why Di Maria started seeing more play time and ended up developing into one of the best wingers in the world.
You realise di Maria is OLDER than adu?
@@NiSiochainGanSaoirse So what? They were bought in the same season and at the time, Adu was seen as a much bigger prospect. What's your point?
Adu's faith was sealed when he was pushed into a league in which he was not mature enough to play.
They should have left him grow up naturally as a footballer.
The greed for stardom for which he was not responsible caused the downfall of Adu.
It was a waste of talent.
Eu também me recordo vagamente dessa época, chegaram o Fábio Coentrão (que foi logo emprestado) o Freddy Adu e o Di Maria. Não havia muito que os separasse em termos do que apresentaram na primeira época.
From what I understand and guess, Portugal (and Benfica) was one of the best places for him considering the league's reputation for developing players, but his problem was the mentals. It's utterly insane that a player from a completely different league and country has the first season at Benfica he did (14g, 1 goal according to Wiki) and then demands a loan because of playing time.
I've done a bit of research on his career, and you can hear the biggest issue of his career in this vid that I took away from my reading - He constantly felt he was better than he was showing on the pitch, never did the work off the pitch to improve, and felt like because he was 'Adu', everyone should be given to him. It might not have been as bad as that, but it was bad enough that your club worked out he wasn't going to do anything for them. The MLS' treatment of him in those early years totally derailed his career.
I would have loved to see what Adu would have turned into if he had knuckled down and worked hard at Benfica. My guess is a poor man's Eden Hazard. Squad player for the top clubs, talisman for those just under.
Since Alfie said that he had been slowly wading through the most popular and routinely requested video ideas, it is probably time to provide him with more such video ideas so he doesn’t run out of them. Also, it hopefully helps clear up the comment section so that it is not only about video suggestions. So here are a compilation of video ideas from the comment section (with credit to the person who suggested it this time):
Sevens:
7 biggest collapses that led to relegation (Shmayd)
7 greatest career peaks of all time (Valtteri Merila)
7 best strikers to never win the golden boot (Mr Oo)
7 defenders to score a hat trick (Tami Sugawara)
7 best players from the 2000s who didn’t play in a champions league final (Raymond Flores)
7 best footballers who have gone to prison (Abbas A)
7 worst players to score a hat trick in the Premier League/ Champions League (Guns of Boom Gangster)
7 best football-related books (Lahav Zaken)
7 of the best individual seasons to not finish in top 3 of Ballon D’or voting (Brolin Fernandez)
7 best managers outside the big five European leagues (Jungwoo Kim)
7 best European teams which had never qualified for the UCL/UEL (ThexNex)
7 worst Premier League/ any defending champions (Youssef Remy)
7 best HITC Sevens jokes (Eddie Howe/ anyhow should probably be first) (mine)
every XXX since XXX
every Dortmund striker since Lewandowski
every Juventus striker since Del Piero
every Man Utd goalkeeper since Van der Sar
every Inter striker since Milito
every English captain since Moore
every Barcelona CB since Puyol
every AC Milan striker since Shevchenko/ Inzaghi
Where are they now:
7 last sacked Watford managers (Yudha Bagaskara)
last Soviet top league teams (Matthew Dominic Hugo M Estidola)
7 last players to score an own goal in the World Cup (Manky Avocado)
starting XI in Totti’s last game (Jack and Yaron)
documentaries
downfall of Malaga (mac)
what on earth is going on at Newcastle United (Youssef Remy)
democracia corinthiana (Pedro Filipe)
updated versions
best player from every country (Adams MessesStuffUp)
others
Barcelona and Bayern Munich sextuple combined XI (Isaac Fung)
Most aggressive XI with most bookings in top 5 European leagues (B tozer)
best XI to never win a trophy/ major trophy (Joe Blundell)
and finally one that I really want to be done
ranking the Premier League clubs by how good their best ever player was
Please leave your suggestions below so that I can properly credit you but also avoid clogging up the comments. Thank you very much in advance.
Ur doing the work of God.
*yoinks idea*
Thank you so much for fitting my suggestion!
7 best second generation footballers
@@youssefremy6173 ur suggestion sucks man
That kind of pressure will definitely get to a kids head, makes it soo much more impressive to see what lebron has become today
Yeah like I’m not a bron guy but it’s crazy how hyped he was at 16 high school and not only lived up to the hype but actually surpassed it
thanks to those draft things the hypes for young players in USA raise 90% higher than anywhere else in the world :))
Basketball is one of the top sports in the US. There is a great support and developmental system. Soccer in America is still developing, but it is getting better. Adu would've fared better in a European developmental system.
@@edema.3418 i can’t blame his mother for keeping him in the US, but that move to Europe would have made the difference.
Who’s lebron?
If only he'd of gone to a "Dortmund" type club after the World Cup at 14, even at 10 when Milan came calling. By the sound of it and from what I can remember myself, he needed humbling and then moulding into a decent player. Instead of being told that he was the best player in the world at 16, such a waste.
It was the Under16-WC and Inter called up, not Milan.
He went to Benfica at 18, which is pretty close to a Dortmund type club. The problem is he wanted to go out on loan and those spells didn’t work out for him, so he didn’t really develop there.
@@johnsoave2774 I think the damage was done by the time he arrived at Benfica, as he'd already been a "senior/professional" for four years.
If Benfica, or a similar club, had gotten a hold of him at 14 things might have turned out very differently.
The Nike endorsement before he'd even kicked a ball was probably the most damaging thing.
Freddy Adu and his Mother were very poorly advised, and I'm sure that there were a lot of unscrupulous people who just wanted a slice of the Freddy Adu pie.
It's a pretty sad story all in all.
Looking back at Freddy Adu's football/ soccer career, I cant help but think the worst professional decision he made was to leave Benfica. Granted, he was over-hyped as a teenager by both sponsors and the MLS alike and in addition to this his mother arguably had too much undue influence; yet we can't help but think Freddy Adu cocked up a golden opportunity in the process
I feel like 75% of the hype about Adu was created because he was such a talent on Champ Manager. Everyone 28-35 has heard of him and he’s the first player we all encountered that was going to be the next biggest thing but became nothing
I’m 23 and he was already washed when I was watching
No way was it champ that hyped him in the states. Though it was the only reason we heard of him in the UK for sure
Nicolas Millan was rated higher than Adu at around 13 or 14. But people love to pile on the American that’s not even American. Wonder kids flame out. It doesn’t mean they were overhyped. You can’t fake running circles around double or triple teams.
Every CM/FM release has that one overhyped teenager.
That's true for me , signed him for wolves was a monster, right up their with cherno samba and Byron bubb
Hard to believe that Adu is just now entering his 30s
It’s just sad to be honest you can’t just Chuck a 14 year old in first team football without any youth football he was overused at such a young age
he older than Ballo.
@@bigfergus9825 If you believe he was 14 when he debuted I have a bridge to sell you.
In Africa, as in the Caribbean, age among refugees has a very "flexible" definition. It all depends upon who will benefit, be it an individual, his selling team, family, agent, etc.... Alot of folks have no problem fibbing about a few years to several years of age.
@@mrs8171 he wasn’t a refugee. On his wiki, it’s said that his mom won a green card through the diversity lottery. Even entering that lottery requires sending multiple legal documents that needs to be verified by the local and National governments as well as the us embassy.
Being born in tema one of the major cities in Ghana, it’s unlikely he would have multiple or faked birth certificates that misrepresented his age especially by a significant margin like 2 or more years.
During his stint in Finland he stated in an interview "It's a tough league. You have to run a lot" Which made him the butt of a joke for many Finnish football fans. Giving the impression he expected to dominate w/ walking pace. :D
Sounds like a lack of work ethic.
He also played for KuFu in the fourth tier of Finnish football...at least he scored one free kick lol.
Used to watch your videos back in the day, planning on uploading ever again? :D
@@vennulahteenmaki7664 Wow. been silent for ages. Honestly surprised to run in to someone who remembers!
Never say never. :D Can almost certainly say that Career Mode content is never coming back. Maybe Ultimate Team come FIFA 22.
Or maybe something with Football Manager 21. Absolutely love FM these days.
He probably DID think he'd walk any other league outside America.
The yanks have a terrible habit of overexaggerating their young players' abilities, and pumping their young players up to believe thwyre the best players on earth
(America has a major problem with inferred superiority over anyone else...)
Not moving to Inter Milan when had the chance was the biggest mistake in his entire life, that’s where he would have been nurtured into a world class player and we would of seen his overall potential in full, amazing how a single decision can shape an entire life
The story behind that move to Inter Milan was that his mother actually refused the offer.
@@user-es4su2cc1r she obviously never had a clue what that move would of meant for his career because she should of jumped at the chance, MLS is no place for nurturing young talent
@@mh8889 I think she was scared of sending her child half way around the world, but I'm sure the club would have given them an apartment to stay in or something
@@yourdadhasadogfilter2505 they are a top European football club with incredible facilities they would have provided him and his family with the very best, exactly what happened to Lionel Messi that’s what Barcelona offered him and his family and they had the sense to move and they nurtured the greatest of all time, had he not made that move he wouldn’t of came close to the player he became, key decisions shape careers
Maybe
The way you walk the line between longer docs and list based content is admirable. Enjoy your longer stuff lots 👌
Cheers Kieran!
"Freddy Adu! You were meant to be the chosen one!" - Obi Wan Kenobi, a long, long time ago....
‘Bring balance to the US, not leave the mls in ruin’.
@@007Fusiionfreddie: I HATE YOU!!...MLS
He’s lived his dream, made a ton of money and had fun undoubtedly. Not too bad I’d say 🤷🏼♂️
@Scott Carey Lol ghana is a country and economy on the rise and an African powerhouse. Plenty of “kids from ghana” receive fantastic educations without going to the US. Your statement is beyond racist lol
@@theresonlyonemanutd Calm down man. Just because he isn't well informed about the country, it doesn't necessarily mean he's being racist...
@@theresonlyonemanutd bit far calling him a racist there, just seems as though he isn't as knowledgable on Ghana's education system as the USA's, just like the majority of people outside Africa
@@TheJGTurton racism isn’t only intentional.. if your ignorance causes you to make ridiculous statements then you could be viewed as a racist. If you are uneducated on a topic, would it not be easier not to speak on said topic rather than making wild statements?
@@psyclops973 its true. could be anything . just dont assume - its unhealthy for all of us .
its sad and a eye opener what happened to Freddy's career, a case of not having the right influence in his camp, he was a literal child and like all of us needed guidance . the man scored hat tricks alongside the best of his generation at the cups, if he had the support system like some of the current USMNT, he would've had a shot at being a powerhouse in Ligue 1, Bundesliga or Erediv - like the Ronaldos, Romarios and Ronaldinhos... if anything Freddy Adu was a sacrifice for the USMNT, a lesson for a whole country on youth development. somehow this got me recalling jermaine pennant 🤔
Look at any of his recent pictures. He looks no younger than 40 years old, yet he´s supossedly only 31. What ruined him was the fact he´s clearly a lot older than they thought. So when he was a 14 year old wonderkid. He was actually in his early 20´s making his feats far less impressive.
He's had a better career than 98 percent of us. Let's focus on the positive
99.9
I feel bad for him really - I think people around him are just feeding him the wrong information and education to him which led to this complete disaster. Maybe he won't be a world beater, but he could definitely have been a solid footballer.
If he had moved to Europe earlier, he may have actually had better advice. Definitely would have had better coaching at least
He has a net worth of 12 mio. I think there is no reason to be sad. He was just not good enough for european football
@@tarikfretes7562 agree
@@yourdadhasadogfilter2505 Or if he came into the current MLS where there’s more focus on player development
@@tarikfretes7562 but I feel he actually loves football and wants to play at the highest level, sometimes money is nothing to compare with losing your dream.
The guy scored 16 goals in 15 games for U17. Even though he didn't meet up to expectations he's still a youth legend and should be proud of his achievements.
Well, he was probably 22 at the time
@@michaelhunziker7287 lol stop with the stigmatization of black players. Just cus they're more fit and muscular doesn't mean they lie about their age. Although some do 🤣
idk if this is popular amongst american fans but i give adu a ton of credit for growing the game here. he's heavily responsible for the golden generation we're seemingly about to get here and i wish him nothing but the best.
When he was 14, I lived across the street from him and his mom in Rockville Maryland. I was just a baby but my parents say he was so kind to me and my sisters. Will always love the guy.
Always thought he was a kind guy, now Adu
His biggest mistake was turning down the Inter Milan offer when he was 10. I understand his mothers concerns about his age but he would have been put in a world class academy, away from the media frenzy in the US, and allowed to develop his talent naturally until he was ready for first team football at Inter or another European team. The MLS had no real interest in this mans development and were just using him to promote the league. All the noise got to his head (as it would for any kid) making him think he was more of a celebrity than a footballer and his game suffered. He was just another casualty of exaggerated media hype.
FACTS
a good lesson on how easily potential can be lost..
Your first villa pic of "Nii Lamptey" is of Ugo Ehiogu 😂😂😂
I thought it was well spotted mate 😄👍
I used to know a guy I played with that swore up and down that he personally knew Freddie was much older than 14 at that time, and many around him did as well.
It's why African teams used to dominate youth tournaments and do well in the Olympics.
A Ghanaian guy I work with told me one of his brothers friends was playing pro football in Italy and had his age marked 5-6 years younger than he really was.
This is true.
@Western Bigfoot...
It's easy for someone, (not you) to make such claims, but where was the benefit of claiming to be younger?
If you're 10 while playing in under 14s, or 14 while playing in under 17s you're gaining absolutely nothing by lying about your age.
There were always ruomours about Obafemi Martins
@@ianmacfarlane1241 Claiming to be younger means you're a 14-year-old playing against 10-year-old.
Another well researched, well presented and very insightful video that goes beyond the easy way of doing it and really gives us the whole story.
Additionally also gives background and sources and references, and asks to check them out.
P.S. Congratulations on 400 k subscribers!
Thanks!
Thanks Martin, much appreciated, and I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
@@HITCSevens We thank you for the quality videos!
I never knew the full story behind his downfall, it's a huge shame what happened to him at such a young age
Signing Adu was always my first move in Football Manager back in the day 😅
When you go through the list of players he out performed, repeatedly, at junior levels over the years, it really is a damning indictment of the people he had around him that he fell so far.
Same, I signed him many time lol
Or an indictment of the Football Manager scored
Feel nothing but sorry for the lad to be fair. My heart was broken when i got realised at 15. Can only imagine how he feels after a career that promised so much
These longer documentary style videos are top notch.
Great video Alfie. Very well balanced and covered all the bases. Adu's is an extremely fascinating case study when it comes to wonderkids who failed to live up to the expectations.
He should never have had so much pressure put on him from such a young age. He should have been given the opportunity to develop in the youth game properly which could have let him mature steadily.
I don't normally find myself watching long CZcams videos ( anything longer then 15 minutes is long for me due to a busy work schedule or I lose interest ) but I really enjoyed this one. Good stuff Alfie! The hard work is appreciated.
Nice video, this was well thought out and produced with care. You must have worked really hard on this one 👏👏👏👏. Well done!
It does make me sad. The U.S. could have real talent at football but we don’t know the game like the rest of the world. Kids are shown only American football, basketball and baseball. My first match I remember seeing was France and Italy in the World Cup final and I was 14 by then.
Baseball is on a decline but true. Look at the mainstream sports network like ESPN or Fox Sports. Like 90% of its content is dedicated to NFL and NBA.
@@kenyichoy5578 lol you’re right I wouldn’t call like 80% of baseball players great athletes. When you look at all our nba and nfl rejects though it’s like damnnnn even those guys if they just focused their efforts on soccer they could be something special. We have hundreds of freak athletes that don’t even make it to the nfl or the nba.
@Lucas James Agreed. Sometimes, however I imagine someone like Lebron James and if he had been trained to play soccer his entire life instead of basketball. Imagine him going up for a header. He would bully people on set pieces. Then again I am ignorant to a lot that is required in the game and in the end it’s all wishful thinking on my part.
Rated as the best upcoming footballer by MLS. Maybe they just didn't realise how high the bar actually was in Europepean football?
Exactly. He was insanely hyped by Americans. Everyone else was more intrigued about what the hype was about
@@benjammin9471 yeah. He probably would have been good if he was allowed to mature. Its a waste of a talent.
I think the fact Bradley Wright-Phillips is the mls top scorer says a lot, the MLS quality is equal to low level championship football in my opinion
Ajax Ben the good thing is is that the MLS was not even that good like 10-15 years ago, so it’s nice to see the league getting more and more competitive.
Its will never be as competitive without promotion, relegation etc.
Genuinely one of the best football videos I've seen. Alfie keep up the good work man!
Thanks Alfie ..... what a great and importantly balanced, insight in Adu's career.
Watched him as a 14 year old in MLS and he more then held his own, was very good
He was def older.....
I honestly think his gotta be 10 years older than they say. At 14 he looked like he was already done with puberty. Right now he's only 31, but he looks like a middle aged dad with three kids.
Africans age weirdly
Not 10 years, but maybe 3 at the most. It would be explain why he never grew since he was “14”. If you’re theory is right he would have been 18 in Elementary school. 😅
It won't surprise me
@@gimu9834 no we don't you fool
@@gimu9834 I am african myself and I know we tend to look older than we are, but this is just on another level.
I did not read through all the comments, but I do not simply think, he was 14 back in the time he strated to be hyped. Maybe rather 18...
I’ve been binge watching your videos lately and this is the first one I’m early for.
This guy could've just been a average ghanaian kid who loved football and was decent at it but the kids in usa were so so bad it made him look like a mad talent.
Exactly... There are so many players in Ghana who play better than Adu....the MLS back in the day. Was just that bad.... I remember alotta young Ghanaians back in the day wanted to go and play in the US.. Cos they all felt if Freddy could get all this hype playing football like an average ghanaian kid.. Then why not me...
Yes you're right.
Not quite true because he impressed at youth world cups against some of the best players in the world. However I think his age could have been wrong, explaining it a bit and especially showing why he didn’t grow taller than he was when he was 14.
@@jimmyjohn7529 you don't get it because you aren't in Ghana. If he were to be in he's just an average player on the street.
stupid comment. He showed promise at u17 and u20 world cups against players that went on to be greats.
I lived in DC at the time when Freddy arrived to DC United. I was surprised when Freddy demanded that Jaime Moreno, a legend of the team and league and all-time leading scorer of the team, gave him the #9 jersey when he arrived..a rookie, a teenager, without any real game experience, just a lot of hype making demands. The second wrong move was demanding a starting spot...somehow he didn't want to go through the process as all the young professional go through and develop their game and earn a spot on the starting team, he believed his own hype and thought he should be a started. He had great players and coaches to learn from, but he thought he knew better and was better so he ended up leaving DCU...and the rest is history
Enjoyed that video. Ill be honest ur videos are great but thats the first ive watch watch all the way through.
Freddie was 14 in Ghana years. In reality he was 18/19 years old. So he would obviously outshine his teammates and opponents. When he started playing professionally and every1 was his age or older he didn't perform as good. That is why he never reached where people thought he was heading.
Proof to back up your allegation?
He earned around $15 million and at 31 I think money and stability was more important than talent and success for Adu and family.
I have a feeling his age wasn't his true age, and it finally caught up with his career, hence the stalling and not pushing on as he got older. Will be interesting to see the career trajectory of Moukoko at Dortmund for the same reason.
Nah I think you just want that to happen moukoko is actually 17 but I guess you have a negative stereotype of Africans
@@frostycone2931 We do know it happens though. Albeit Moukoko does look young.
Amazing video! Up there with the best one’s you’ve made 👍
Nii Lamptey? One of the most versatile players on Champ Manager!! MA RLC!! Amazing player!!
When he signed for villa he was massively hyped just never happened sadly.
I live somewhat close to the cozy little seaside village of about a thousand people in southernmost Sweden where Österlen FF plays, and I think it's sad that it didn't work out for Freddy Adu to play there. There was a lot of hype around him for a couple of weeks, and it could have been so fun to go watch him play as the star of that team and perhaps even help them reach the second tier as true underdogs. However, when even they said that he just wasn't up to their team standards, I sadly can't see much of football career left for him anywhere.
This was a brilliant video Alfie. You were right to return to Adu.
I had never heard of this guy and have followed football since he was born, so thank you for Aducating us!
Those 2002 era Nike kits were such beauties. And even better to play in. 🙌🏻
2013 were the best. Old school shield and the Waldo wish they would bring those back.
Total90 were stylish as well. We used to wear them to look cool when I was a teen
He was a brilliant signing on Football Manager 2005, loved that game, one of the best in that franchise imo.
Do “what actually happened to hacim mastour “ AC Milan failed wonderkid
Yes! HITC Sevens IMO should talk about Fabio Paim and Hachim Mastour.
I'd put El-Shaarawy in that list too. People used to talk about him like he's going to be better than CR7.
@@PeaceDweller True, but IMO El-Shaarawy still has a respectable, if not outstanding, football career. Both Hachim Mastour and Fabio Paim just disappeared into oblivion.
@Lucas James Georgie Best would disagree 😉👍
@@PeaceDweller el-shaarawy kind of suffered the same fate. He started blossoming at Milan when zlatan left, but then Milan kept trying to bring in other players and ruined his growth. Then he kept going to different clubs and never had enough time to get comfortable and develop.
Hats off to you Alfie, brilliant video that I was reluctant at first to watch because as you point out, Adu's name is labelled on so many yt videos about 'failed wunderkins' that it's grown tedious. I love that you didn't labour the point of 'he failed', US is ruthless when it comes to athletes expected to be the next household name. It must be devastating for so many who did the hard slog for all those years and just weren't quite good enough
Superb work as always!
Hype ruined this mans career. He should have stayed and devolved but he took off to Europe way to damn early
I would say the opposite. He would of been better coached in Europe and no hype if he would of went to the EU at a even earlier age.
Nah the MLS was the worst thing that happened to him, playing men’s football at 14 is ridiculous, if he’d gone to a decent academy in Europe he’d of been a far superior player.
It wasn’t his fault honestly. MLS didn’t start to have academies till like 2010.
@@Scotty93Yellow he was at benifica by the time he was 17 years old. He still had plenty of time to be developed once he was there. The mls youth system obviously wasn’t the best, but he would hve at least gotten plenty of minutes. During his initial European career he played approximately 30 games in 5 years. I think that was the biggest killer to his career. At the end of the day, if you can’t play, you won’t get better. I think staying in the mls until about 21 would have helped stabilize his career. I don’t think he would have been a world beater, but he would have made it to a sustainable pro career imo
@@DanielBowens The money he was getting at 14 would of never happened in Europe at that age , And his development stopped at that point way before he went to Europe , Badly coached at such a young age . The pressure the MLS put on him and people close to him making bad decisions destroyed his career before it even got started .
Great video Alfie. It's a bit like Sonny Pike who was referred to as the English Maradona in the 1990s. That would be a great video to do aswell.
@HTC Sevens Wow this is a very well researched and honest assessment of Freddy Adu.
Love these documentaries 👌🏻
The usa lost to mexico in the gold cup final in 2011. but I still remember Adu dominating the first half of the match. He looked like he was living up to the hype. But he disappeared after that match.
Nice one Alfie, could you do a documentary on the possible impact the unification of the Dutch and Belgian leagues would have on European football? Perhaps clubs like Ajax and Anderlecht would be able to keep their academy players because of the extra revenue from a multi-national broadcasting deal and catch up will the Top 5 leagues. Just a thought.
All of Belgium or just the clubs in Flanders?
That was a great video. I haven't really looked into his career and always just assumed he fell off due to laziness. It was good to find out how his career actually went
Very well put together
The USSF apparently did the standard wrist xray and he was +/- within his stated age range, though not conclusive, he does seem to have been the age stated. A coach who dealt with him in Serbia said that he had the body of an old man, clarifing this by saying - He was pumped up and broken down, and we don't talk about his mind.
I reckon Freddy Adu is a lot older than he lets on. When he was playing those youth tournaments he was clearly 6-7 years older than he was meant to be.
Facts brother
Congrats on 400k Alfie!
Congrats on 400,000 subscribers!
Homie really looked 18 at 14!!!!
You're much too kind. He was even older than 18. When you feed and feed a 14 year old prodigy just so you can get some added vertical inches out of him but he instead only grows horizontally, then what exactly does that tell you?
@@westyraviz or you just don't understand that black men are just built different lol
@@frostycone2931 as if he’s the 1st black to play professional sports!
This is unfortunately a bit of a problem in the United States. We tend to overhype young players before they even prove themselves at the professional level, angrily demanding that MLS clubs must play their academy kids now rather than let them develop and earn their places at the first team and insisting that the USMNT must play kids that are riding the benches at their clubs rather than those that have earned first team minutes.
Enjoyed the video a great deal. I'd had completely forgotten about him. Just shows you how fleeting fame is.
Those Total 90 boots at 14:06 brings back glorious memories. One of my favourites football boots!
He was developing talent. Not a complete talent. But media and fans hyped him up, he turned professional too early and already had failed senior career at age of 21.
From what I have read from the multiple clubs in Europe he played for his major problem was laziness.
He wouldn’t put any heart or effort into the training. Maybe indeed it was all psychological because he was told so young that he was the new Pele and may have believed it. Sad.
Dude started acting he was the greatest instead of working and training he wanna be hollowwood
Great video today keep it up your doing amazing job
Normally only watch HITC sport, but I loved the footballing penguin meme.
So therefore congrats on 400k subs you legend!
He was not 14 when he was "14". He was 17. It is the simplest thing ever.
That was the conspiracy theory I always heard, even when all this was going down
it happens all the time in african countries
Day 80:
"Final Yugoslavia First League Teams: Where are they now?" would be interesting with Red Star winning the 90s CL but then falling from grace as a lot of teams in the region.
+ maybe how a lot of them changed names or logos as socialism felt off (loosing a red star etc.)
I remember signing him everytime in Championship Manager and Football Mamager back then. Always had high potential. Wish him the best.
Great video mate!
Here's an intresting question I think. As a more mature football nation, one which now has a more robust youth academy system, would he stand a better shot at developing into a good player? I'm sure the hype would have been way more tempered.
If the MLS academies had been in place when Ado started, he would have done much better. If he had started by going over seas to a German team or possibly a Dutch youth team and was given the chance to learn, he would have progressed. I don't think his age is a lie, I think that MLS was NOT the right place at th time for him to grow into a great player.
Class video mate!
This guy lived in Sweden now in the town of Malmö. A few weeks ago he was in the local newspaper, he was playing for a team in the lover division in the Swedish system. But the team dropped him after some arguments with the coach.
Adu's biggest mistake was not going with Intermilan when they came! In Europe he would have been with the clubs youth club, and playing with players his age. Staying to play in america with players older than him isolated him. He was extremely skillful, but in europe they would have molded him to they type of player he needed to be. Sort of like messi, but faster, more skillful tbh
Playing in the mls, they just kept him outwide, there wasn't a tailored program for him.
At that time yeah the mls was shit but dude if he was in ghana he probably would have improved who knows some people just need something to make them feel well but oh well I might be just making excuses for him
Still hoping for a "What on Earth is happening at Sunderland". Everything post Steve Bruce has been an absolute car crash.
So am I
Wonderful isn’t it?
@@pacco9532 not for me as a Sunderland fan haha. But it is interesting, and whilst a lot of people know about our downfalls, they don't know the reasons and story behind it.
These are my favourite kinds of documentaries
Excellent vid as always. This one is special though because I have often asked the same question as the title of this video. A very American story after all.
Wasn't he really 25, when they said he was 14
At least 19. Easily
I was 14 OK!!!
If only he went through a proper football academy like one in Inter when he was offered a chance. I feel that Adu had natural talent but he needed to develop it with kids his own age and with better coaching and trainers for football.
Congratulations on 400k!
Thanks Justin!
Great video!
I think the problem was not only being hyped up he was given too much too soon. If he had a proper youth career then maybe things may have been different as he would have had ego kept in check and more time to develop better.
That's why the European Teams are better at developing young talent than MLS
Please do one on the decline of the nickname for Brazilian players
Hype and greed ruined his career. Not talking about from himself, but those around him who likely had their hands out. That was too much for a 14 year old. I'm curious what would've happened if he'd gone to a European academy or if he was never tipped as the next Pele (that honestly seems to be a curse at this point). It's clear he lacked the discipline that is found in those structured environments and I'm sure if he could go back, he would have probably taken the opportunity to go through an academy to instill within him the lifestyle choiecs that are expected at the professional level. Great video and definitely gives insight on a person that most people just write off as all hype, no talent. He had talent. But he didn't have the discipline to develop it.
This is the only video he can't say "Without further ado"