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Swoosh! Agent confirms Nike deal for 13-year-old AduPosted: Wednesday May 28, 2003 4:03 PMUpdated: Wednesday May 28, 2003 6:32 PM
NEW YORK (Reuters) - He's not yet a soccer superstar like Brazil's Ronaldo or David Beckham of England, but Freddy Adu, a 13-year-old goal-scoring prodigy, has signed an endorsement contract with sportswear giant Nike Inc., his agent said Wednesday. Adu had agreed to be represented by the same agent who negotiates for U.S. coach Bruce Arena and national team star Landon Donovan. The agent, Richard Motzkin of SportsNet in Los Angeles, declined to say how much Adu's deal was worth, although newspaper reports have put it at $1 million to $1.5 million. Nike, which last week signed 18-year-old high school basketball star LeBron James to an endorsement contract worth more than $90 million, confirmed the deal but declined further details. "He is young, and we are sensitive to that," said spokeswoman Celeste Alleyne, adding that the company had not yet mapped how it would use Adu. The Nike deal is a precedent for any soccer player, let alone one so young, in a country where the world's most popular sport has a relatively low profile. Top Major League Soccer salaries rarely exceed $250,000 -- a fraction of what players can earn in England, Spain or Italy. A native of Ghana, Adu came to the United States when he was eight and became a U.S. citizen in February, when his mother won an immigration lottery. He has family in Potomac, Maryland, where he lived until attending the U.S. under-17 academy in Bradenton, Florida. He attends a school there. Since joining the team in January 2002, the speedy striker has scored 32 goals and added 21 assists in 60 games. Adu has trained with the U.S. national team, but at the age of 13 is still some way off signing a professional contract with Major League Soccer or with a club elsewhere. On Monday, the five-foot-eight, 140-pound striker scored a goal for the United States Under-17 team in a 3-2 friendly international victory over Costa Rica. In its report of Monday's Under-17 match against Costa Rica in Lancaster, California, the U.S. Soccer Federation said Adu's goal came "after finishing off a beautiful dribbling showcase." "Freddy is a very exciting, young talent with incredible potential," said Motzkin. "At this time, it is important to provide Freddy with the right structure and atmosphere to allow him to continue to grow and develop as a soccer player and person." A spokeswoman for SportsNet said Adu was focusing on the Under-17 FIFA World Youth Championship in Finland in August. After that he was looking forward to representing the United States in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Adu is represented by SportsNet LLC, whose primary negotiators are Motzkin and Dan Segal. In addition to the 21-year-old Donovan, who scored two goals at last year's World Cup, the pair also represent national team players DaMarcus Beasley, Josh Wolff, Bobby Convey, Eddie Pope and Jeff Agoos. The arrangement means Adu cannot play college soccer. Adu does not anticipate playing for a professional club until after he completes high school, which is likely to be a year from now. "SportsNet is excited to work with Freddy and his family, to
help guide him through his professional career," Motzkin said.
"We're all excited about the prospects ahead for him, the U.S.
team and soccer in this country."
The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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