Freddy for anything

By Pete Sanderson

While the biggest dilemma facing most eleven-year-olds centres around which player's name to have on the back of their favourite club's new shirt, at the same age Freddy Adu was pondering an offer to join Internazionale FC.

Contract on the table
Despite the lucractive offer from one of Serie A's finest, Adu promptly turned it down. Not your average boy. But then Adu, now 14, is no ordinary chap. He is the United States' teenage soccer phenomenon and can do things with a football that most his peers cannot even do when playing as Brazil on their video game consoles.

Hails from Ghana
The talented youngster hails from Ghana but his family settled in America in 1997. After being spotted having a kick around with his friends, he was invited to play in an élite youth tournament in Italy at the age of ten. He was a revelation and his performances prompted the likes of Inter, Real Madrid CF and Manchester United FC to make tentative enquiries to his agent Richard Motzkin, following Inter's lucrative contract offer.

Agent of change
Motzkin admits he is constantly being accosted by top clubs, companies and journalists wanting a piece of the Adu action. Indeed, he has already been signed up for €925,000 by sportswear company Nike. It is not hard to see why there is such interest. Following his recent training spell with the US capital's top club, DC United. Coach Ray Hudson promptly claimed Adu was already good enough for Major League Soccer, the country's top flight. That was followed by practice sessions with English champions Manchester United FC on their recent US tour.

Finnish headlines
Despite being four years younger than some of those taking part, Adu is currently representing the United States at the FIFA World Under-17 Championship in Finland. But any hopes the softly spoken teenager had of keeping a low profile were ended when he scored a sensational hat-trick in his country's opening game against the Korean Republic.

Wonder goal
It was not just the fact that he scored three goals nor that he was the youngest player on the pitch by a considerable margin. It was more the manner in which he scored them. The first highlighted his predatory instincts as he thumped home a rebound, the second his sublime skills as he dribbled around five Korean defenders before slotting into the net and his third underlined his confidence as he rounded off his treble with a thunderous penalty.

Average game
But modesty can be added to his range of attributes after Adu came off the field shaking his head with disappointment. "In my mind I didn't play a great game at all," he said, after a 6-1 victory. "I know when I play a great game and against South Korea I didn't have any rhythm. I wasn't making any good runs like I used to. But I guess things went our way and I was able to get lucky a few times."

Watson's praise
But his team-mates are used to Adu's humble nature. US forward - Adu's partner in crime - Jamie Watson said: "What a performance, it was unbelievable. We live day in and day out with Freddy, and unfortunately the whole world doesn't get to see this except on big stages like this. And there is no bigger stage to do it on."

Spanish next
Adu is clearly a man for the big occasion. He followed up the hat-trick with a dramatic last-minute winner yesterday in the US's second game against Sierra Leone. With the clock ticking, Adu picked the ball up, surged past a defender and the goalkeeper, before calmly scoring to seal a 2-1 victory. Spain are next on Wednesday, let's hope they are ready for Freddy.