The Adu family came to America from Ghana when Freddy’s mother won an immigration lottery. Settling in Washington D.C., Freddy soon became a member of a local soccer team. After helping his team dominate the league, Freddy played at youth soccer tournaments in Italy, where he was named the MVP.

Representatives from the premier Italian team, Inter Milan, offered Freddy's family $750,000 to sign him! However, Freddy's mom refused, saying he was too young…