In November of 2003, Freddy Adu became one of the youngest professional athletes in American history, when at aged 14 a deal was done for him to join DC United. It's hard to think now, nearly 12 years later Freddy Adu is 26-year-old and is joining the 13th club of his career.
Such is Adu's youth that his new club has described the signing as a "perfect fit" for the club who are looking forward to Adu's "prime playing career that's still ahead of him". Adu's new club the Tampa Bay Rowdies plays in the North American Soccer League, the league under the MLS.
Adu is the second big-name to start playing in the NASL, after Ronaldo came out of retirement to play for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers earlier this year. The Rowdies are seventh in the table after two games with a win and a loss.
Adu is hoping to settle at his new club after playing a combined ten games in the last two years for four different clubs since leaving Philadelphia Union. That those clubs include Bahia, Jagodina, KuPS and KUFU-98 highlight how different the career arc of Football Manager Freddy Adu to real-life Freddy Adu.
We'll still have the memories of Adu from the mid-90's, or the Adu that played for Benfica, had trials with Manchester United or won 17 caps with the USMNT.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
