- Adu hopes to resume playing career
- Hasn't played since 2018
- Hoping for trials this summer to prove fitness
WHAT HAPPENED? Adu has been without a club since 2021, having most recently signed for Osterlen FF in Sweden. His stay lasted only one month, with the club claiming that Adu was not fit enough to play. Prior to that, his most recent matches had come in 2018 when he'd featured for the Las Vegas Lights in the USL. Still just 33 years old, Adu says he has hopes of playing somewhere soon and that he is open to any and every opportunity.
WHAT THEY SAID: "I know that I must get fit and haven’t played for a while so I would have to go in and do trials, which will need me to be super fit," he told NJ.bet. "I’m at the point where I’m prepared to do that and so it will be this summer, and hopefully it goes according to plan, that there are some doors that open and I can have the opportunity to get back to playing.
"I don’t know what opportunities will come, but I must be ready for any opportunity that comes. I’m not going to say I’m too good for anyone. I just want to get back to playing the game that I love and miss. I miss the atmosphere, I miss the locker room, I miss training every day in the morning, being around the guys – I miss it all."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Adu famously broke through as a teenager, when he was dubbed the "Next Pele" before joining D.C. United in MLS. His career has been a winding road since, with Adu playing in the U.S., Portugal, France, Greece, Turkey, Brazil, Serbia, Finland and Sweden throughout his career.
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IN THREE PHOTOS:
Tampa Bay Rowdies/Matt May.
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USA TodayWHAT NEXT FOR ADU? Adu says that his career has shaped him as a person. The various setbacks he has faced, he believes, could make him a vital mentor to younger players. Adu has done some coaching at the youth level, which has allowed him to work with young players, but the hope is to have one last go at his own career.
"I’ve been from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the sea," Adu said. "I think I’ll also bring a lot of good mentorship to the younger players, and if people want to reach out to me – be it clubs or youngsters – I’m happy to take the call, because I’ve seen it. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don’t work hard and nurture that talent, it’s going to come back and bite you."