When former Green Bay Packers star Antonio Freeman was asked to name the family’s best athlete, the great pass rusher said there was no doubt: That title belongs to his son.
United States men’s national team defender Alex Freeman has become a star of this young World Cup, scoring an electrifying goal in America’s Great Victory on Australia last week.
“This guy is 6-foot-4. If I had his height and his long arms and his long legs, I would have been super unstoppable in the NFL,” a beaming Antonio Freeman told “FIFA World Cup on Fox After Hours with James Corden” on Sunday.
“But this guy is only 21. He’s just getting started,” he said. “There’s a lot more to come for Alex, and I’m just happy that he’s the best athlete in the family and will probably also be the richest.”
Young Freeman playfully called out the proud pops, saying: “Off camera, he doesn’t say that!” »
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.File Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesThe elder Freeman admitted he was initially disappointed his son didn’t want to pursue football or basketball. He said he hopes all parents learn the lesson about supporting their children, whatever project they choose.
“When he told me [soccer was his choice]I said to myself, really? » said Antonio Freeman, overdramatizing his disappointment at the time. “It’s just time to join us and support your kids, whatever they do, you just support your kids.” And throughout the process, I saw how dedicated and determined he was to simply be better. He had vacations, he had birthdays and different holidays, he worked out while his other kids were at the beach and hanging out. It was then that I could see his true focus on what he truly wanted to become in life.
To the football world, Alex Freeman is the promising American who plays for Villarreal CF in Spain.
But in much of the TikTok universe, he was better known as “Diamond’s little brother” when his half-sister Diamond Spaulding went viral for pleading with the public. in a comment to get behind Alex and his teammates.
The United States men’s national team embraced the nickname “Diamond’s Little Brother” and a movement was born.
Alex Freeman of the United States at Seattle Stadium on Friday.John Dorton/USSF via Getty ImagesSpaulding, a 29-year-old nursing student and daughter of Antonio Freeman’s longtime partner, said she had no doubt the young man she calls her little brother would put big chips on the table.
“With all this newfound fame, I was like, ‘If that was me, don’t worry, because I would have choked,'” Spaulding told NBC News with a laugh. “But one thing about [Alex] – if there are people watching him and he knows that the United States is behind him, then for sure he will show up.