Latest news with #Adu
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Freddy Adu reveals truth behind Celtic transfer interest and why 'America's Pele' never fancied Rangers
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. 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. 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. 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. "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!'
The National
3 days ago
- Sport
- The National
Gio Reyna Borussia Dortmund to Rangers transfer floated
The original US wonderkid, Freddy Adu, insists the son of Claudio, a former Gers star of course, needs to leave current club Borussia Dortmund. In the past year, the attacker has struggled for game time at the Bundesliga giants, scoring just once, and notching two assists his limited minutes on the pitch. Adu believe that Ibrox would be the perfect place for the 22-year-old to flourish ahead of next summer's World Cup in his homeland. "As far as Gio goes, I'm the biggest fan," Adu told Unibet football betting. "For the US national team, I think his skillset is so incredibly needed and pivotal to the success of the national team right now. "We need a player like him in the midfield in the national team. I've always sung his praises. His situation right now, oh man it breaks my heart. It really does, because I think he's so talented. "Sometimes as players, we want to be at big clubs, and we want to be at clubs that are known. "But sometimes it just doesn't work out. And it has not worked out for Gio at Dortmund. "In my opinion, I think he just needs to focus on finding a move away from Dortmund, somewhere he will be an essential part of the team. "If he could go to a place like Rangers, I think it'll do wonders for him. He will get the playing time he needs, he will be an essential part of the team, and he will essentially grow a lot as a player and just improve a lot. "You don't get better by sitting on the bench. I mean, you can train all you want, but your game gets to that next level by getting a lot of game time. That just that just goes for everybody. So if he gets a chance to go to a team like Rangers, I think it'll benefit him tremendously. "I do think that he's good enough to go to Rangers and become a regular starter on that team, and once he gets a chance to be a regular starter and not always looking over his shoulder if he makes a mistake, if he doesn't do well, he's gonna be right back on the bench, etc. "You can't operate, nobody wants to deal with that. "I think that would give him an opportunity to really grow and improve a lot as a player and, in turn, preparing him for the World Cup that's coming up, because this is a really important year."
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Gio Reyna touted for Rangers transfer as Borussia Dortmund star told Ibrox switch can fuel World Cup dream
Reyna is out of sorts at Dortmund and was linked with Gers earlier this year US national team star Giovanni Reyna could kickstart his career by following in his father's footsteps in making a move to Rangers. That's the view of former prodigy American prodigy Freddy Adu, who reckons that the midfielder needs to leave Borussia Dortmund to improve his chances of getting back into the national-team set-up ahead of next year's World Cup. Reyna - who was linked with Gers earlier this year - burst onto the scene with the Bundesliga club in 2020 but has since become a bit-part player in recent seasons, spending the second half of the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. Championship Manager legend Adu was a teammate of Reyna's father Claudio at international level, with Reyna Snr enjoying a memorable two-year stint at Ibrox between 1999 and 2001. And while Adu wasn't able to live up to his wonderkid status despite spending time on trial with Manchester United, he believes Rangers will be a perfect fit for the youngster. Adu, speaking via the best sportsbook software, said: "If he could go to a place like Rangers it would do wonders for him. Why? Because he will get the playing time he needs, he will be an essential part of the team, and he will essentially grow a lot as a player and just improve a lot. "You don't get better by sitting on the bench. I mean, you can train all you want, but your game gets to that next level by getting a lot of game time. That just that just goes for everybody. So if he gets a chance to go to a team like Rangers, I think it'll benefit him tremendously. "I do think that he's good enough to go to Rangers and become a regular starter on that team, and once he gets a chance to be a regular starter and not always looking over his shoulder if he makes a mistake, if he doesn't do well, he's gonna be right back on the bench, etc. You can't operate, nobody wants to deal with that. "I think that would give him an opportunity to really grow and improve a lot as a player and, in turn, preparing him for the World Cup that's coming up, because this is a really important year. "So as far as Gio goes, I'm the biggest fan. For the US national team, I think his skillset is so incredibly needed and pivotal to the success of the national team right now. "We need a player like him in the midfield in the national team. I've always sung his praises. His situation right now, oh man it breaks my heart. It really does, because I think he's so talented. "Sometimes as players, we want to be at big clubs, and we want to be at clubs that are known. But sometimes it just doesn't work out. And it has not worked out for Gio at Dortmund. "In my opinion, I think he just needs to focus on finding a move away from Dortmund, somewhere he will be an essential part of the team."
The Print
03-06-2025
- General
- The Print
Not Noddy, Tom & Pingu, but ‘Adu, Sanju & Teju'—BJP wants Mumbaikar penguins to have Marathi names
'We are not saying anything about the names of penguins that have come from the foreign countries. But, these three penguins are born in Mumbai, on our soil,' Nitin Bankar, who heads the BJP's Byculla unit, said to ThePrint. The idea behind the demand is that the three chicks were born on Mumbai's soil and must not have foreign names. Their names should be rooted in Marathi. Mumbai BJP leaders also held a protest outside the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Vanaspati Udyan and Zoo, popularly known as the Byculla Zoo, Monday to emphasise their demand. Mumbai: Leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Mumbai unit want three baby penguins born in the city in March this year to be renamed from Noddy, Tom and Pingu to 'Adu, Sanju and Teju.' 'In Mumbai, it is compulsory for all shops and establishments, too, to display their names in Marathi. The state government has said all official communication within the government should be in Marathi. The Centre has accorded Marathi classical language statues. So, why can't the three penguins have a Marathi name?' Bankar said. He added, Adu, Sanju and Teju are name suggestions that he has put forth to the BMC. The BJP's demand comes ahead of local elections expected to be held across the state, including in Mumbai for the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), this year. Dr Sanjay Tripathi, director of the Byculla Zoo, did not respond to ThePrint's calls and messages for a comment. Bankar said Tripathi was unavailable to meet the protesters Monday. 'But, his second in command promised us to find a solution to the issue in 10 days. If they don't change the name in 10 days, we will have an even bigger protest and have the zoo shut down,' Bankar said. The BJP leader said he first wrote a letter to the zoo authorities on 30 April, 'within 3 days of the naming ceremony of the baby penguins'. When there was no response to his letter, he wrote another one a month later on 30 May. 'I have not received anything from the zoo authorities on my letter,' Bankar said. Local BJP leaders, under Bankar's leadership, have also been protesting the branding of the zoo on all social media platforms as 'Mumbai Zoo' when its officially named after Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji's mother. Also read: On Maharashtra tour, why Amit Shah inaugurated former Congress CM Vasantrao Naik's statue Mumbai's penguin colony When the BMC first brought penguins to Mumbai's Byculla zoo, the civic body faced much flak with several politicians as well as members of the civil society, saying it was wasteful expenditure and raising questions on whether the penguins will be able to survive in the city. The penguins are kept in an 1,800 sq ft fortress enclosure with CCTVs, rocky caves, ice, and artificial ponds. The Byculla zoo in Mumbai has had penguins as one of its star attractions since 2016, when the BMC got eight Humboldt penguins to the zoo from South Korea. The penguins were all named after popular cartoon characters—Donald, Daisy, Popeye, Olive, Flipper, Bubble, Mr Molt and Dory. Dory died a few months after coming to Mumbai due to a bacterial infection. Penguins in captivity are monogamous and choose a lifetime partner. Mr Molt, the youngest male among the eight Humboldts, and Flipper, the oldest female, are the most popular pair in the zoo. They had the first penguin baby in Mumbai in 2018. The chick, born on 15 August, however, could not survive and died within a week. But, since then, the colony has only expanded. In 2021, a new chick was born who was named Oreo. Then gradually the penguins reproduced some more to add new members to their family—Nemo, Dora, Siri, Flash, Bingo, Alexa, Coco, Stella, Jerry and so on. Other animals born in the Byculla zoo are mostly given Indian names. For instance, two tiger cubs born around the same time as Nero, Siri and Dora were named Jai and Rudra. (Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri) Also read: Post legal battle with L&T, MMRDA says it will retender 2 infra projects in 'public interest'
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Evening Standard
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
Celebrity parents supporting their trans and non-binary children
The musician wrote a song about her son, called Young Lion, where she apologised to the child he was for not seeing him as he was sooner. Adu told Rolling Stone that he was touched, but that there was no need for any apologies. 'My mum never tried to oppress the boy I silently always knew I was. She always let me be me,' he said.
