The Day I Met Freddy Adu

By Dominic Vieira

A big hobby of mine, well an old one, was meeting football teams and players. For two reasons: I love the game and enjoy talking to them, secondly I am a big autograph collector and I own a prestigious collection of over 300 genuine autographs.

This adventure took place on the 29th of June 2007, I was returning from the Algarve (south of Portugal - very nice beaches down there) and like any other day, I was reading the daily sports paper  called “A BOLA”. By examining the front page, I was informed that Benfica completed the signing of 18-year-old American football sensation, Freddy Adu. I didn’t know much about him at the time, but had seen some Youtube videos and always bought him on Championship Manager/Football Manager (for those who played the game, you know he was a good buy).

I informed my parents that I would try to get an autograph of his for my collection. For some strange reason, one which I can’t understand today, my mother made a bet with me. The bet was that I couldn’t appear on the front page of a newspaper. The bet was worth 100€. I rarely lose bets and so the challenge was on….

On the 30th of June, it was pitch black outside from my bedroom window. I woke up at 6.00am, showered at the speed of light, ate fast breakfast and checked the airport arrivals. There were so many flights coming from USA that I couldn’t work out which was Adu’s. I soon left the house, bought the paper (they also didn’t know when he would arrive, but they knew it was today) and made way to the airport (train + bus). I must have arrived there at 8:00am, there were already some journalists and photographers around, I thought he must be here soon…

It was around 15:00PM when he walked out the terminal, I managed to get to him. I remember saying to him “welcome to Portugal!” I then asked him for an autograph, whilst putting my Benfica scarf around his neck. Seconds later, all the press came pouncing onto us; it was like a flash. I then held up my small poster, which in English means: Benfica doesn’t need Simão, we have Adu! (this season Benfica sold their captain and stair player Simão Sabrosa so Atletico Madrid for 20 million euros).

After Freddy managed to escape the entire frenzy, I was interviewed by another sports paper named RECORD, and my interview took up the entire 3rd page of their newspaper. If that wasn’t enough, the three national television stations interviewed me.

By the time I got home, my parents saw me on the news, most of the country did and the next day I went to buy all the papers and collected the 100 euro. But the story didn’t end there, the next day wherever I went everybody recognized me, all these eyes glaring at me. But the moment of that day, was sharing the honour of chilling with Adu in the Hotel Marriott Lisboa for around 20 minutes.

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