Sometimes you have to leave to find home ...

by Jamie Trecker

Updated: February 2, 2008, 5:55 PM EST 44 comments

"A lot of people were writing me off," says Adu. "I was reading a lot of not-too pleasant articles about me."

	Freddy Adu
• Career of Freddy Adu

It's sometimes hard to remember that the best American prospect in a generation was only 12 when he was tabbed as the next big thing, and only 14 when he signed what at the time was the first major deal in MLS history — $500,000 a year to play at D.C.

At United, his salary dwarfed that of his older colleagues, and there were unmistakable tensions among him, his teammates and his new coach Peter Nowak.

Adu is outspoken about it.

"In America, our mentality — I don't know if it's American soccer in general or just MLS — when a young guy comes in, the mentality is to break him in, and make him earn everything he gets," says Adu, bluntly. "It's understandable, but sometimes it gets taken too far, to the point where the young player breaks down mentally."

Did Adu break down in MLS?

"I don't think I broke down mentally ... but I had a really rough time," says Adu. "At 14, I didn't deal with it well. Who can blame me? I'm 14, and I've got all this exposure, but the atmosphere [in Portugal] is a lot different when it comes to young guys."

Adu could well have ended up like so many other prodigies — feted, well-paid, and then burned out. For every Cesc Fabregas or LeBron James, there are a hundred Jennifer Capriatis and Kwame Browns.

So what changed for Adu?

He was finally allowed to grow up.

Adu is lucky. He is still young, and flourishing after a $2 million move to Portugal's Benfica. He is not playing as much as he would like, but he's already survived a coaching change and has shown his skill in limited play. He's on the game-day roster. He speaks some Portuguese, and lives on his own.

"I've grown up a lot, basically. I'm taking care of everything, living on my own, and I've asked my Mom when she visits not to stay for a long time," says Adu. "I want to be an adult and I want to be in an environment where I am able to handle a lot of my own things. My career is in my own hands, and I want to deal with adversity. I want to learn to be a pro."

Some will have little sympathy for a kid who made more in four years than many MLS players will make in a career. Others will correctly point out that Adu contributed to the hype himself when he signed a $1 million contract with Nike, and appeared in a series of Pepsi product ads.

But reasonable observers have to know that Adu was thrown into a no-win situation twice in MLS. He was twice paired off with rookie coaches with little to no development experience and both under pressure to win immediately.

There's no questioning that Adu is a different player today than he was just twelve months ago. He credits a change of scenery and a change of attitude, and it has helped make him into the player many hoped he could be after four frustrating seasons with two MLS teams.

"When you get to Europe, it doesn't matter whether you're 17, 18, 19, everyone is treated the same," says Adu. "The coaches don't treat players over 35 any differently. You have the same say in everything and the same respect, and I was very surprised, because back in our country, this is not the case. Here, talent is talent, and people respect you. You have to earn that, but if you keep working, you get it, and that's the difference.

"In MLS, the culture is more turned towards making the young guy pick up the Gatorade, making being a rookie an initiation. Here, [teammate] Rui Costa doesn't get treated any differently than I do. If I make a bad pass, someone yells at me. If he makes a bad pass, I can say the same thing. No one takes it as an offense, just that we're all part of one team."

His command performance at the U-20 World Cup this past year probably saved his career, and he acknowledges that. But he also credits his decision to turn down offers from Italy and England, to go with a club that has a track record for development.

It was at the U-20 World Cup where Adu set the tournament alight. (Dave Sandford / Getty Images)

"I think I made the right and best decision," says Adu. "There were other offers, and I want to be the big-time player. But I wanted to go to a place with a history of developing players, one that would give me a chance both to play and to grow. I'm not sure that would have happened in a high-pressure league like England or Spain — this was the place for me. The fans here are great, my teammates have been great. You can't ask for any more than that."

Adu has also already overcome one hurdle that could have derailed him before he even got started. Coach Fernando Santos, who signed Adu, was fired just after the teen arrived.

"It was weird," admits Adu. "But you know, in a way it meant everyone started with a clean slate. I knew I needed to show I deserved to be on the field, and I did that. Then I needed to show I deserved to be in the 18, and I did that. Now I need to show [new coach Jose Camacho] I deserve to be in the starting 11."

Adu has grown up in other ways. Freddy buried the hatchet with now-Olympic coach Nowak after a frank meeting in October. Bob Bradley has kept in close contact with Adu, and it seems certain he'll get a call to camp during World Cup qualifying.

Freddy also has no regrets about choosing to play under the American flag, even though he'll be staying in Portugal while his birth nation kicks off play Sunday at the African Cup of Nations.

"I don't regret turning down Ghana," says Adu. "It was a tough decision. But I grew up with a lot of the U.S. guys, and I always wanted to be a part of the U.S. team. I couldn't tell you why, but every since I was young, I did! I love America and love playing for the country."

Jamie Trecker's newest book, "Love and Blood: At the World Cup with the Footballers, Fans and Freaks" is out now from Harcourt. Jamie is assisted by Jerry and Janice Trecker. Contact Jamie at jamie.trecker@gmail.com and visit his blog and website at www.jamietrecker.com.

The views and opinions expressed by Jamie Trecker do not necessarily reflect those of the Fox Soccer Channel or FoxSoccer.com.