Adu Fulfills European Dream, Will Play for Portuguese Power

Freddy Adu has had his eyes on a European pro contract since he began shredding defenders in the Montgomery County youth leagues almost a decade ago.

Yesterday, Adu's wait came to an end.

The 18-year-old attacking midfielder, whose D.C. United career began at age 14 amid wild expectations and came to a disappointing end last winter with a trade to MLS's worst team, was in Lisbon yesterday to finalize a five-year contract with Portuguese power Benfica.

Terms of the deal were not released, but his salary is expected to be moderately more than the $550,000 he was guaranteed in MLS this year. Adu also has prominent endorsement deals with Nike and Pepsi, among others.

Benfica -- a 103-year-old club that has won 31 league championships since 1936 but only one the last 13 years -- paid a $2 million transfer fee to MLS for Adu's rights.

Adu arrived in Lisbon on Monday with his mother, Emelia, and Los Angeles-based agent, Richard Motzkin, and trained yesterday with Benfica, which is preparing for European Champions League qualifying in two weeks. He is scheduled to return to the Washington area today to gather his belongings and spend time with friends and family, then fly back to Portugal on Sunday.

Adu, who immigrated to the United States from Ghana with his mother and brother in 1997, was not made available for interviews yesterday.

MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis told the Associated Press: "Freddy's been very devoted to working hard, being a contributor. He became a better and more mature player. He's still only 18. When we step outside the world of MLS, a good league with veteran players, and put him with his peers on a world stage -- and peers that are older than him -- Freddy clearly has progressed."

Despite Adu's immense potential, international rules prohibited him from signing with a foreign club until he turned 18 this past June. His stock rose last month at the Under-20 World Cup in Canada, where he captained the U.S. team to the quarterfinals, scored three goals against Poland and gave an impressive display of ball control during a 2-1 upset of Brazil.

Adu's MLS career was not nearly as spectacular. He showed promising signs in three years with United, scoring a few superb goals and helping the club win the 2004 MLS title, but he became increasingly frustrated with his playing time and often clashed with then-coach Peter Nowak.

After last season, he asked to be traded and was promptly dealt to Real Salt Lake, where he had one goal and two assists in 11 appearances for a last-place club with just one victory.

Now that Adu's European deal is set, United will receive additional compensation from Real Salt Lake: at least $100,000 of the estimated $400,000 to $500,000 in player allocation funds promised by MLS to the Utah club to find a replacement for Adu, as well as RSL's third-round pick in the 2009 draft.

United officials said they have not decided whether to apply that allocation money toward the acquisition of a player this season or next.