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MLS club Real Salt Lake secured the services of only 14-year-old kicker Axel Kei. Memories of Freddy Adu are awakened.
Born in the Ivory Coast, the American replaces the former “child prodigy” Freddy Adu as the youngest player ever signed in a US professional league.
Instagram @axellkei
In October, the young forward rose to national prominence when he played for farm team Real Monarchs at the age of 13 years and 282 days.
Instagram @axellkei
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Axel Kei becomes the youngest professional in a US sports league.
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At just over 14 years old, Kei has his first contract in the bag.
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He replaced his well-known predecessor Freddy Adu.
At the age of 14 years and 15 days, soccer talent Axel Kei has become the youngest ever signed professional player in a US team sport. As the Real Salt Lake club from North American Major League Soccer (MLS) announced on Friday (local time), the Ivory Coast-born American will receive a two-year contract.
Kei, who also grew up in Brazil where his father played football professionally, came to the United States when he was nine. In October, the young forward rose to national prominence when he played for farm team Real Monarchs at the age of 13 years and 282 days – also becoming the youngest player in the history of professional team sports in the United States. The MLS season begins on February 26.
Memories of Freddy Adu
Kei replaces the former “child prodigy” Freddy Adu, who was signed to DC United in January 2004 as a 14-year-old in the MLS. However, at the time the contract was signed, he was 153 days older than Kei. Adu was long the youngest player in America and has been dubbed the “next Pelé”.
However, the Ghanaian midfielder failed to live up to expectations and became a disappointing wanderer during his 17-year odyssey through the footballing world. After engagements in Portugal, Monaco, Greece, Turkey, Brazil, Serbia and Finland, the 17-time US international finally landed in Sweden. The third division club Österlen released Adu following a good four months in January 2021, which was tantamount to the end of the 32-year-old’s career.
At this point we wish Axel Kei a different career path. This has already started with hope. By the way: The youngest ever player in the Swiss Super League was the Aarau goalie at the time, Sascha Studer. On April 1, 2007, he made a promising debut in a 1-1 draw once morest FC Sion. At the time, Studer was 15 years, six months and 18 days old.
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(here/dpa)