Rate Today's Posts, 12/1/2008 - Monday

Search:

Please Sign In or Register  |  Set as Homepage

Freddy Adu   Rating: (3.9 / 10)    Views: 1,193

Submitted By: hiskeyd on 11/11/2006. (  |  Share  |  Clikk It! )   

Your Ad Here
Freddy Adu


Link: http://www.askmen.com/men/sports_60/73_freddy_adu.html
 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.

freddy adu comes to america

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.

freddy adu is named mvp

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.

freddy adu joins dc united

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%.

freddy adu rakes in cash

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.


Link to this:

* copy and paste the above text into your site to link to this post.

If this post contains copyrighted or otherwise illegal material please let us know by clicking here.
If this post contains adult material please click here so we can place it in the appropriate section.

Comments and Reviews   (Average Member Review: average stars)

Your Ad Here
How would you rate this post?  

Review Title:  

Review:


  I am over the age of 13.



Contribute

New:

Soccer NinjaSoccer Ninja
more                                                                                                                                                                 

Photo Taken at Just the Right Moment 26Photo Taken at Just the Right Moment 26
more                                                                                                           

Photo Taken at Just the Right Moment 8Photo Taken at Just the Right Moment 8
more                                                                                                             

Random Links From Our Friends

(click here to join)
more links

Bored?  Check Out Today's Hotlinks

Tesla Motors Says Money Shouldn't Be Diverted to Bailout Car Makers
How to Get Stuff Done

Popular:

Guy Gets Hit with Soccer BallGuy Gets Hit with Soccer Ball
hilarious, lets watch again in super slow mode! more

Glasgow Rangers The Manchester Invasion 200 000 FansGlasgow Rangers The Manchester Invasion 200 000 Fans
200 000 Glasgow Rangers Fans Descend On To Manchester For UEFA Cup Final. May 2008 more

Funny Soccer PhotoFunny Soccer Photo
This is how rumors start. more                                                                                                     

Activity

10397 People Online
 

Disclaimer | RSS Feeds | Support | Join our Linkswap Program
© Copyright 2006 RateMyEverything.net
Graphical Design: Luka Cvrk - Solucija, and by DazzleBlab
Application Design by DazzleBlab