FOr, the story goes, every superstar who lives up to the hype in the world of soccer has the potential to be the opposite. No one knows the pain of being the latter better than Freddie Adu, who was dubbed “the next Pele” at just 14 years old.
Now everyone knows Adu’s story. The pressure placed on him at such a young age was unbearable, and Adu played just 17 games for the U.S. national team, moving between MLS and clubs around the world. The whole Arsenal team will be praying that the same thing doesn’t happen to Max Domann.
Dauman is just 16 years old and has already established himself in Mikel Arteta’s side, who currently lead the Premier League by nine points and are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Dauman’s talent is fascinating, as evidenced by his 16-minute goal in Arsenal’s win over Everton last week, making him the youngest scorer in Premier League history.
John Terry compares Max Dauman to Lionel Messi, but Freddie Adu is cautious
Dauman’s dribbling ability, as well as the fact that he is left-footed, has made him a frightening comparison to Lionel Messi. This is scary because it will likely be impossible to live up to the Messi hype. That didn’t stop legendary Chelsea centre-back John Terry from making comparisons recently.
“I watched him play against Chelsea about a year ago and apart from Messi I’ve never seen a player slip through the cracks like this guy. It’s a big comparison, but this guy is a decent talent and will play a big role not only in Arsenal’s future but also in England’s future.”
Adu caught wind of the comparison and couldn’t help but offer advice to Arsenal’s young players.
When I hear it all, I feel like I’ve heard the words somewhere before! Max is a very talented person…but he has to be treated right. You can’t put too much pressure on him at such a young age…It’s very difficult for a young player to have such high expectations at such a young age and so early on. Let him grow, let him play, let him develop and let him be his own player. Don’t rush him and try to do this next, then that.
Adu is well aware of such high expectations at such a young age. Dauman needs time to develop and hone his skills. As time permits, the rest will fall into place.
