Adu was regarded as one of the most promising footballers on the planet when he rose through the youth ranks in the United States.
The contract meant he earned a staggering $500,000-a-year, and he subsequently became the youngest player to appear in an MLS fixture in April 2004, still two months out from his 15th birthday.There were unsurprisingly comparisons to some of world football's greats, including Pele, and he was signed to several major endorsement deals as interest in his career soared.
"Even though I was only 14 or 15, there would have been a lot of teams that were in on it that would have boosted up the price. It would have been a bidding war."Nowadays, there are a lot of younger players, a lot of great younger players, but when I was coming out there really wasn't a lot. Guys like Messi were already in the Barcelona youth system, so they weren't going anywhere, so it was a little bit different with me. It would have been crazy.
How would a 14-year-old Freddy Adu's career pan out if it were starting today? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.