Work Harder, Avoid Distraction – Adu’s messages to younger self
Freddy Adu, once considered a prodigy in the world of football, recently opened up to former teammate Charlie Davies on CBS Sports about the highs and lows of his career.
During the interview, Adu reflected on the decisions he made that led to his downfall and shared the valuable lesson he learned: talent alone is not enough to succeed in professional sports.
He urged youngsters to work harder and avoid distractions, emphasizing the importance of dedication and focus in achieving one’s goals.
Tagged the next big thing, he was even compared with the great Pele. At 14, Adu busted into the scene making his MLS debut as a teenager.
He was also playing in the U-17, and U-20 at such a young age, but a few years later he became a shadow of himself, and the 33-year-old explained where he missed it.
“One decision I would’ve done differently was leaving Benfica after the first year to go on loan at Monaco. That was the decision that started the snowball of me going from team to team.
“On the flip side, Ángel Di María, the guy who was with me at Benfica, decided to stay. A new coach came in, he played, and the next thing you know, he balled out and ended up at Real Madrid.
“I went to Monaco. There was a power struggle between the coach and the president. The president wanted me really bad but the coach didn’t think I was ready, so I didn’t play a lot. I’m not blaming anyone because it was my decision but I would’ve done it differently.
“I would’ve told my younger self to put away all the distractions and focus on my soccer. That was one thing I didn’t do enough of.
“If I had to go back in time, I would’ve stayed behind for another hour or so to work on things I needed to work on. At 14, I felt like I was already there but I wasn’t.
“Everything happened so fast, I remember how cool everything was. The dream was to become a professional soccer player, and I achieved it so young. I was living the dream, it was an amazing time and I loved it.
“I was getting into places other teenagers weren’t able to. When you get into bad habits, it’s hard to change as you get older. I wish I had someone telling me to stay straight.
“I have random people sending me messages on Twitter all the time. What happened to Feddy Adu? What do you say to that?.
“Sometimes, having all the talent in the world isn’t enough, you have to maximize that talent. If you don’t, the guys who work their butts off are going to surpass you, and it happened in my case.”
