Freddy Adu

Fredua Koranteng "Freddy" Adu (born June 2, 1989) is a former professional soccer player who played as an attacking midfielder. Born in Ghana, he played for the United States national team. From before the time of his signing with D.C. United at age 14, Adu was spoken of as "the next Pelé". After leaving D.C. United in 2006, he became a journeyman, playing for 15 teams in nine countries: the United States, Portugal, Monaco, Greece, Turkey, Brazil, Serbia, Finland, and Sweden.

At D.C. United, Adu broke several records. First, he became the youngest athlete ever to sign a professional contract in the United States at 14 years old, after he was selected by the team in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft in January 2004. Three months later, he became the youngest player to appear in a Major League Soccer (MLS) game when he came on as a substitute against the San Jose Earthquakes. These records have both since been broken by Maximo Carrizo and Cavan Sullivan, respectively.

Adu made his full international debut for the United States national team at the age of 16 in 2006. He went on to earn 17 caps for his country, and was a part of the US squads at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, as well as at the CONCACAF Gold Cups in 2009 and 2011. He also represented the United States Olympic team at the 2008 Summer Olympics.