It was Argentina’s soccer clubs who discovered the talent in Lionel Messi. Barcelona’s youth academy La Masia nurtured him. And La Albiceleste started to depend on him when he was 18. Former USMNT midfielder Freddy Adu thinks Messi would not have received the same treatment if he were a US native. Adu says the youth soccer system is so off-kilter in the US, that scouts and coaches are wrongly fascinated with players’ size and scholarships.

The former US and Manchester United midfielder took to X and revealed certain harsh reasons why the USMNT can’t rise at the international level. He said a player like Lionel Messi would have wasted his talent in the US solely because of his short and slender physique.“If Messi was American with the same talent level I am not sure I would be confident enough to say he would have been given the same chances he got in both Argentina and Barcelona due to the fact that he was very small. (Luka) Modric being the other,” Freddy Adu wrote on X.

“Being fascinated with the big/strong/fast athlete and not actual soccer players and the way our youth system is set up will always be a HUGE reason why we are where we are in international soccer. This has to change for us to be consistently competitive,” the ex-United star added. Freddy Adu also blasted the US Soccer system for following a “pay to play” system for recruiting young talent. Adu recalled how a 4th-grade friend helped him get a scholarship to play for the Potomac Cougars, as he was born poor.

Leo Messi is indeed a household name in the US right now. That’s perhaps why Adu used the La Pulga analogy to open the US Soccer Federation’s eyes. While Messi’s popularity is on the rise in the US, fans don’t get to see his action for Miami lately. What’s going on?

What’s latest about Lionel Messi’s injury?

The last time we saw Lionel Messi on a pitch, he was tearfully limping away to the bench with a twisted ankle. It was during the Argentina-Colombia Copa America final. He has missed two games with Inter Miami. But the club has yet to give a specific timeline for his return. Former US player Herculez Gomez said it was embarrassing for Miami to maintain a tight lip regarding the Argentine’s injury.

While there’s no timeline on La Pulga’s return, the Herons confirmed that he will miss their League Cup opener against Puebla on July 27th. Only time will tell when the world champion recovers his twisted and swollen ankle. The latest injury, notably, is only one among the many injuries the 8x Ballon d’Or winner picked up this season. While Messi did not start his career in the US, he is writing his last chapter there. And it is seemingly turning to be a dismal climax, as injuries diminish the twilight of his career.