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Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues below<ul><li>Adu burst onto the scene at 14</li><li>Career didn't go as planned</li><li>Coach explains his 'downward spiral'</li></ul><script type="application/json" data-placement="fcplayer-semantic">{"type":"fcplayer-semantic","data":{"embedCode":"//cdn.fcp.codes/embed-code-template/embed-code-template.js#SEMANTIC_5704afb8-c10b-4ba5-9cb4-d7fb6098ef90"}}</script>

‘When people are telling you you’re sh*t, it’s hard’ - Freddy Adu’s ‘downward spiral’ blamed on MLS ‘saviour’ role as former coach explains why USMNT prodigy failed to reach his potential

Leagues Cup

Santos Laguna

DC United

Adu burst onto the scene in the MLS as a 14-year-old for D.C. United, before making his international debut two years later in 2006. However, he failed to live up to expectations and his career arguably petered out before his mid-20s, with the now 34-year-old last playing for Osterlen FF in Sweden in 2021. Now, Thomas Rongen, the former US Under-20s coach, and Santino Quaranta, another of D.C.'s promising youngsters at the time, have spoken about how all the early hype did not help Adu at all.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Rongen, who likened Adu's impact on the MLS to when <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-cm/lists/freddy-adu-like-lionel-messi-usmnt-mls-compared-inter-miami/blt82be65b457d4e943#csbee151b7759310e4" target="_blank">Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami</a> last year, told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/feb/14/freddy-adu-was-just-like-messi-what-happened-to-americas-pele">The Guardian</a>: “There were so many things surrounding him that didn’t help him focus on the task at hand. It was not his fault. It was more due to MLS. He became this creation. The ‘next Pelé’. The ‘saviour of MLS’. It became a burden for him. All of a sudden, you see the downward spiral.“In MLS at DC United, it proved a tough transition for him, to go from happy-go-lucky to, ‘OK, every day I’ve got to fight for my position.’ I knew emotionally and physically he was not ready for that.”Quaranta, now 39, added: “When I think back to it, I had some guys that helped me along really well, but it was a different situation [with Freddy]. He wasn’t mature enough to understand. He never had a super-close bond with any of the older guys. It wasn’t by choice. It was just who he was. A lot of guys helped him along and nobody did anything to hurt him. But there was never one guy who helped him along and said, ‘Look, this is how to do it.’“He was under a lot of pressure. You could see it was wearing on him. Once people are paying to see you play, you’ve got to produce. You’ve got to be entertaining. I think that started to weigh on him. He struggled to maintain that level of fame. When you’ve tasted it and felt it, then it’s not there any more and people are telling you you’re shit, it’s hard.”

WHAT THOMAS RONGEN SAID

After being hailed as the next Pele early on in his teenage years, Adu became a journeyman, playing for 15 teams across nine countries. He broke records at club and national level in the United States for his age but his career is a cautionary tale over not overhyping a player and stresses the importance of nurturing young talent in the right way.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Adu is reportedly coaching other kids to help them avoid some of the mistakes he made during his young career.Rongen added: “After all those experiences, he was never the same happy Freddy. He was a jaded guy that verbalised that he wanted to go back to the highest level and he wanted to do that. But he just didn’t know how. I think he lost his passion and his joy for his first love, the game of football.”

WHAT NEXT?

‘When people are telling you you’re sh*t, it’s hard’ - Freddy Adu’s ‘downward spiral’ blamed on MLS ‘saviour’ role as former coach explains why USMNT prodigy failed to reach his potential | Goal.com Cameroon

A former coach of Freddy Adu believes being branded the &quot;next Pele&quot; and the &quot;saviour of the MLS&quot; led to a downward spiral for the young American.