‘Freddy Adu was just like Lionel Messi’ - Former USMNT wonderkid’s impact on MLS compared to Inter Miami superstar as ex-coach reveals the two traits they shared

The attacking midfielder became a worldwide sensation when he made his MLS debut for D.C. United at the age of 14 and was hailed as the USA's version of Pele. While Adu failed to live up to the expectations that surrounded him from such a young age, his fame had a massive impact on the profile and commercial success of the league.

Ex-United and USA Under-20s coach Thomas Rongen told The Guardian: "In the first year in MLS, DC United, contractually, had to play him at least a few minutes every game, particularly on the road. Freddy Adu was just like Messi or [David] Beckham – on the road there were 40,000 people chanting ‘Freddy, Freddy, Freddy’. Peter Nowak [who replaced Hudson as DC United coach for Adu’s debut season] told me: ‘I had to play him 10 minutes, at least, every game.’ We tried to protect him as much as we could, but you just couldn’t get away from it. Anywhere we went in the world, particularly after he’d signed to MLS and had sponsorship deals, the spotlight was Freddy Adu, like it is with Messi now. I remember we played the Haitian national under-20 team in Fort Lauderdale. There were 18,000 people. People were coming to watch us practice."

He added: "He had the same stature as Messi, a great dribbler. He was very unpredictable, and for an American player we’d never seen anything like that. He manhandled players and teams in his own age group when he was 14, 15, domestically and on the international level. He could assist and score with ease."

After emerging as a star with the Washington club, Adu went on to join Real Salt Lake before heading to Europe to play for Benfica. His time on the continent did not go according to plan, however, as he was loaned to Monaco, Belenenses, Aris and Caykur Rizespor before heading back to his homeland. He then enjoyed spells in Brazil, Serbia and Finland before going to North American Soccer League (NASL) side Tampa Bay Rowdies and USL Championship club Las Vegas Lights. The last club he played for was Swedish team Osterlen, but he left there in 2021.

While the craze around Adu was about his potential to become a global star, Messi has attracted widespread attention after arriving at Inter Miami as a World Cup winner and seven-time Ballon d'Or winner - he went on to win it for an eighth time after joining the Florida club. His presence has sparked huge demand for tickets involving Inter Miami, resulting in clubs drastically increasing the prices.

Argentina hero Messi will hope to continue to boost the profile of the Miami team and MLS by putting in more starring roles when the 2024 campaign kicks off. His side start the new campaign with a home game against Salt Lake, followed by a trip to California to face LA Galaxy.