Tag: Freddy Adu

Reflecting on past mistakes, Freddy Adu says he’ll retire ‘sometime soon’

“Sometimes, having all the talent in the world is not enough”

Freddy Adu has admitted his retirement is coming “sometime soon” as he reflected on some of his past mistakes during an interview with ex-teammate Charlie Davies.

Adu’s most recent professional minutes came in 2018 with USL side Las Vegas Lights, and though he signed with Swedish third-tier outfit Österlen FF in 2020, he would not play a minute for the club.

The onetime prodigy appeared on CBS Sports Golazo Network’s “Morning Footy” show on Friday, and spoke candidly with Davies about some of the poor decisions he made early in his career.

The 33-year-old said as a teenager, he was able to get into bars with his older friends, which went on to eventually impact his performance on the field.

“I was enjoying all that stuff. Rather than focusing on the little things like getting the rest you need, your diet, getting some stretching in, just taking care of your body, I didn’t do enough of that,” he said. “You can get away with it a little bit when you’re younger, but as you get older, those are bad habits.”

Adu was considered a future superstar when he signed with D.C. United at age 14. But nearly 20 years later, he admitted that talent alone wasn’t enough for him to ultimately reach his full potential.

“Sometimes, having all the talent in the world is not enough,” Adu said. “You have to work your butt off to maximize that talent. And guys that aren’t as talented as you, if they work their a—s off, they’re going to surpass you. And it happened in my case.”

Davies would later ask Adu about his playing future and whether he was ready to announce his retirement.

“Sometime soon,” Adu replied. “I’m technically, technically not retired yet.”

Watch the full Adu interview below

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Freddy Adu still isn’t ready to call it quits

Adu’s most recent professional minutes came in 2018 with the Las Vegas Lights

Freddy Adu still hasn’t given up on his playing career.

Adu’s story has become folklore by now: a child prodigy who turned pro at 14, only to become a journeyman who played on more than a dozen teams and never lived up to his billing as “the next Pelé.”

Now 33, Adu’s career seems for all intents and purposes to be finished. His most recent foray into the game came when he signed for Swedish third-tier club Österlen FF in 2020. But he would never play a minute for the club, which terminated Adu’s contract just a month after he arrived in Sweden.

“We were actually a little surprised at how unprepared he was when he came here,” Österlen vice chairman Filip Lidgren told Aftonbladet at the time.

Adu’s most recent professional minutes came in 2018 with USL side Las Vegas Lights. Though it’s now been four years since he last played professionally, Adu, who has worked as a youth coach in Maryland in recent years, is still hoping that he can find a club to hand him a trial.

“I know that wherever I go, they’re probably going to need to see me, because it has been a couple of years since I have really played at a high level,” Adu told Offers.Bet.

“But if the opportunity arises, I’ll definitely attack it. I’ve had a few family things that I’ve been helping on, but now that everything is more settled, I have to get in the best shape of my life and attack it if the opportunity arises.

“But it’s not something I’ve given up on. I still want to play and I love the sport way too much, and I know that I have a lot more to give – so that’s why I haven’t called it quits yet.”

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