Freddy Adu reveals truth behind Celtic transfer interest and why 'America's Pele' never fancied Rangers

Daily Record

2 days ago

The former prodigy caught the eye in a game against the Hoops in 2007 during their pre-season tour of the States
Freddy Adu is a name synonymous with millions of Football Manager players around the world - and one that Celtic fans of a certain age might remember too.
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The American made his debut in the MLS at the age of just 14 and was soon the talk of the town all over Europe, even spending time on trial at Manchester United.
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But while the man once dubbed as 'America's Pele' went onto win 17 caps for his country and make a few appearances for Lisbon giants Benfica, Adu infamously never fulfilled his potential, and retired aged 31 in 2021 after nomadic career that took him to several countries including Serbia, Finland and Sweden.
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Celtic were touted as a potential destination for the wonderkid back in 2007, with his agent even going as far as saying he planned to get in touch with the Parkhead club about Adu's talent during a Hoops' trip to the States for an MLS-All Stars friendly encounter that summer.
A year earlier, a 16-year-old Adu had caught Celtic's attention when he found the net in a 4-0 friendly victory for D.C United against Gordon Strachan's team and says he remembers that goal all too well.
Speaking exclusively to Record Sport via the home of slots, Adu recalled: "I remember scoring the goal, a really nice through-ball and I got on the end of it and was able to finish it. It was one of those games where I was able to show my different forms of skill and in turn create a lot of chances and get the first goal of the game! It was a fun time!
"I had one of my better games that day! I thought we played some of the best soccer we've ever played as a team against Celtic. I remember that I was pumped up to play that game, and I played one of my best games I think, as 16 or 17 year old.
"I remember I was juiced up to play that game because it's not every day you get a chance to play against one of the premier teams in Europe, which Celtic was at the time. Celtic is always a big name, and everybody knows Celtic, so I was really excited.
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"And I ended up having one of my better games, that game! And I do remember we beat pretty handsomely too, 4-0! That might have been the best game that we played that season, believe it or not!"
Although his agent went public about wanting to speak to Celtic, Adu says no discussions about making the move across the pond ever took place.
"No", he added. "The weird thing is that there were some rumblings, but it wasn't big enough for me to really get into it I guess. At that point, there were a lot of stories and whatnot about this team or that team, but it never really went anywhere, so I wasn't really aware of it to that extent, I guess."
But the now 36-year-old insists he would have loved the chance to dazzle under the lights at Parkhead and reveals his preference over Celtic for bitter rivals Rangers, where former international teammates Maurice Edu and DaMarcus Beasley both spent some time during their respective careers.
He stated: "It would have probably been Celtic. Growing up between the two teams, I liked Celtic. I love (Henrik) Larsson, he was very good for them. That Celtic were really, really good in my childhood and I liked them.
"I liked them more than I liked Rangers, for sure. And the funny thing is, DaMarcus Beasley did play for Rangers, and I remember Maurice Edu played for Rangers as well, and I remember telling Beasley one time: 'Rangers is cool and all, but Celtic all day, every day!'