Freddy Adu‘s journey of unfulfilled promise rumbles on.
The one-time American soccer prodigy will be searching for a new team later this year after his current club, Brazil’s Esporte Clube Bahia, announced that it would not extend his contract beyond this season, according to NBC Sports.
Adu’s contract expires at the end of December, and Bahia’s director of football reportedly told Lance!Net that the 24-year-old is not good enough to stick around.
“He does not play because there are others who are superior,” said Bahia director of football Anderson Barros. “He is very dedicated. I have nothing bad to say about him off the field. I have talked with him, and Adu understands the situation. He is very professional.”
Adu joined Bahia from Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union in March, hoping to find a soccer home in one of Brazil’s largest cities. It didn’t pan out that way, as he only played four games for Bahia.
Adu turned professional in 2004 at age 14 when he signed with Major League Soccer and DC United. He was once one of the top young players in the world but he failed to meet the expectations heaped upon him — many of them unrealistic. His form and confidence suffered as he bounced from club to club during his developmental years.
That cycle looks set to continue as he searches for his 10th club in 10 years as a professional player.
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Photo via Twitter/@phillysoccerpg
