The rise of U.S. men’s national team star Alex Freeman has sent American soccer fans into jubilation — and left his football-famous dad in tears.
Former Green Bay Packers wideout Antonio Freeman opened the emotional floodgates when asked about his son’s prominent role on America’s World Cup squad.
“I’m blessed to be here,” the elder Freeman told Fox Sports, pausing to regain a portion of his composure. “And I’m blessed to be Alex’s dad.”
In an interview that aired Thursday night before the U.S. vs. Turkey match, Antonio Freeman said he’s in awe of America’s newfound love of the USMNT right back.
“I had Packers fans cheering for me,” the retired wide receiver said. “He has 50 states rallying around him.”
With the United States having already wrapped up the top spot of its group, U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino elected to have Alex Freeman on the bench and resting to start the Turkey match.
Alex Freeman emerged as a breakout star of this young World Cup, scoring an electrifying goal in America’s big win over Australia last week.
When Antonio Freeman was asked to name the family’s best athlete, the pass-catching great said there’s no doubt: That title belongs to his son.
“This guy is 6-foot-4. If I had his height, 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 just 21. He’s just getting started,” he said. “There’s a lot more to come for Alex, and I’m just happy that he is the best athlete in the family and he’s probably going to be the richest also.”
The younger Freeman playfully called out proud pops, saying: “Off camera he doesn’t say this!”
The elder Freeman admitted he was initially disappointed that his son didn’t want to pursue football or basketball.
The former Packers great said he hopes all parents will learn the lesson of supporting their kids no matter what endeavor they pick.
“When he told me [soccer was his choice], I was like, really?” Antonio Freeman said, overdramatizing his disappointment at the time.
“It’s just time to get on board and support your kids, whatever they do, you just support your kids. And through the process, I just saw how dedicated and how committed he was to just being better. He spent holidays, he spent birthdays and different holidays, he was training while his other kids were at the beaches, hanging out. That’s when I could see his real focus to what he really wanted to become in life.”
To the soccer world, Alex Freeman is the up-and-coming American who plays for Villarreal CF in Spain.
But to much of the TikTok universe, he was better known as “Diamond’s Little Brother” when his stepsister Diamond Spaulding went viral for pleading to the public in a comment to get behind Alex and his teammates.
The U.S. men’s national team bought into the “Diamond’s Little Brother” moniker and a movement was born.
Spaulding, 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 come up with big chips on the table.
“With all this newfound fame, I was like, ‘If it was me, worry, because I would have choked,’” a laughing Spaulding told NBC News.
“But one thing about [Alex] — if there’s people watching him and he knows the USA is behind him, then for sure he’s going to show out.”
