Emmanuel Adebayor facts for kids
Adebayor warming-up with Manchester City in 2010
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor | ||
| Date of birth | 26 February 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Lomé, Togo | ||
| Height | 1.91 m | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998–1999 | OC Agaza | ||
| 1999–2001 | Metz | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2003 | Metz | 44 | (15) |
| 2003–2006 | Monaco | 78 | (18) |
| 2006–2009 | Arsenal | 104 | (46) |
| 2009–2012 | Manchester City | 34 | (15) |
| 2011 | → Real Madrid (loan) | 14 | (5) |
| 2011–2012 | → Tottenham Hotspur (loan) | 33 | (17) |
| 2012–2015 | Tottenham Hotspur | 59 | (18) |
| 2016 | Crystal Palace | 12 | (1) |
| 2017–2019 | İstanbul Başakşehir | 60 | (24) |
| 2019 | Kayserispor | 8 | (2) |
| 2020 | Olimpia | 2 | (0) |
| 2021–2023 | Semassi | ||
| Total | 448 | (162) | |
| National team | |||
| 2000–2019 | Togo | 87 | (32) |
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Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor (born 26 February 1984) is a former professional footballer from Togo. He played as a striker, which means he was a forward player who scored goals. Adebayor played for many famous clubs in England, France, Spain, and Turkey.
He was named the African Footballer of the Year in 2008. This was a big award for him while he was playing for Arsenal. Later in his career, he became the highest-paid player in Paraguay when he joined Olimpia Asunción in 2020.
Adebayor also played for the Togo national team. He represented his country at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. This was Togo's first and only time playing in the World Cup. He is Togo's all-time top goalscorer with 32 goals.
Contents
Emmanuel Adebayor: Football Star
Early Days in Football
Emmanuel Adebayor was born in Lomé, Togo. His family was from the Yoruba group. He spent most of his childhood in Togo. He went to a special sports school called the Centre de Développement Sportif de Lomé.
Scouts from a French club, Metz, noticed him playing. They brought him to France in 1999. He played his first top-league game in France in 2001. After Metz was moved to a lower league, he scored 13 goals in 34 games. This led to him joining Monaco in 2003. He even played in the Champions League final with Monaco in 2004. His team lost 3-0 to Porto.
Playing for Arsenal
On 13 January 2006, Adebayor joined the English club Arsenal. He was bought for about £3 million. Fans called him "Baby Kanu" because he looked like former Arsenal star Nwankwo Kanu. Adebayor had always looked up to Kanu.
He played his first game for Arsenal on 4 February 2006. He scored a goal after just 21 minutes, helping Arsenal win 2-0. In the 2006-07 season, Adebayor scored the winning goal against Manchester United. Arsenal won 1-0 at Old Trafford. This was their first league win of that season.
Adebayor was sent off in the 2007 League Cup final. Arsenal lost 2-1 to Chelsea. He received a red card after a fight between players. He was also fined and banned for more games.
On 15 September 2007, Adebayor scored two goals against Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal won 3-1 in the first North London derby of the season. He scored his first hat-trick (three goals in one game) for Arsenal on 22 September. This was in a 5-0 win against Derby County. It was the second hat-trick ever scored at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.
Adebayor also scored his first goals in the Champions League in 2008. He scored against Milan at the San Siro stadium. On 28 April, he scored his second hat-trick against Derby County. He became the only player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick both home and away against the same team in one season.
He was chosen for the PFA Team of the Year. His goal against Tottenham won the Match of the Day's Goal of the Season award for 2007-08. He also won the BBC African Footballer of the Year award in 2008.
In 2008, there were rumors that Adebayor might move to Milan or Barcelona. But he signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal. On 13 September 2008, he scored another hat-trick. This was in Arsenal's 4-0 win against Blackburn Rovers. He scored an amazing bicycle kick goal against Villarreal in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2009.
Time at Manchester City
On 18 July 2009, Adebayor signed a five-year contract with Manchester City. The transfer fee was around £25 million. He scored a goal in his very first game for City against Blackburn. He also scored in his home debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
He scored in his fourth game in a row against his old club, Arsenal. Manchester City won 4-2. Adebayor ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Arsenal fans. He later apologized for this. He was also banned for three matches for kicking a former teammate.
In the 2010-11 season, Adebayor scored his first hat-trick for City. This was in a UEFA Europa League game against Lech Poznań. He was the first Manchester City player to score a hat-trick in a European competition. However, he played less often after City bought new players. In August 2011, the manager said Adebayor could leave the club.
Loan to Real Madrid
On 25 January 2011, Adebayor joined Real Madrid on loan. He played for them for the rest of the 2010-11 season. He scored his first goal for Real Madrid in a cup game against Sevilla. Real Madrid won 2-0.
He scored his first goal in La Liga (the Spanish league) against Real Sociedad. On 20 April, he won his first trophy with Real Madrid. He came on as a substitute in their 1-0 win over Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final. Adebayor scored his first hat-trick for Real Madrid on 21 May 2011. This was in an 8-1 win against Almería.
Joining Tottenham Hotspur
On 25 August 2011, Adebayor joined Tottenham Hotspur on a one-season loan. He scored in his first game against Wolverhampton Wanderers. On 18 September 2011, he scored twice in his home debut against Liverpool. His second goal was his 100th league goal in his career.
He helped Tottenham win against his old club Arsenal in a North London derby. During that game, some Arsenal fans chanted mean things about a bus attack Adebayor had survived. He scored two more goals against Aston Villa, one with an amazing overhead kick. He also scored two goals against West Bromwich Albion.
On 11 February 2012, Adebayor scored a volley and set up four goals. This was in a 5-0 win over Newcastle United. He finished the season as Tottenham's top goalscorer with 18 goals. On 21 August 2012, Adebayor signed a permanent deal with Tottenham for £5 million.
On 17 November 2012, Adebayor scored an early goal for Tottenham against Arsenal. But he was sent off later in the game. Arsenal went on to win 5-2. In March 2013, he scored an important away goal in the Europa League. This helped Spurs reach the quarter-finals.
After a change in manager, Adebayor returned to the Tottenham team. He scored eight goals in his next ten league matches. He ended the 2013-14 season as Tottenham's top goalscorer with 14 goals. He left Tottenham on 13 September 2015.
Other Clubs
On 26 January 2016, Adebayor joined Crystal Palace for six months. He scored one goal for the club in a 2-1 loss to Watford. He left Crystal Palace on 30 June 2016.
On 31 January 2017, Adebayor signed with the Turkish club İstanbul Başakşehir. He scored six goals in 11 league games. This included a hat-trick against Galatasaray on 10 April. His team finished second in the league. He scored another hat-trick against Galatasaray in November 2017. He left İstanbul Başakşehir in June 2019.
On 26 August 2019, Adebayor joined another Turkish club, Kayserispor. He left the club in December 2019.
Adebayor then joined Olimpia Asunción in Paraguay on 11 February 2020. He was met by a large crowd at the airport. He joined his former Manchester City teammate Roque Santa Cruz there. Adebayor said Santa Cruz convinced him to join. He played four games for Olimpia. He received a red card in a game for a high kick. He returned to Togo during the COVID-19 pandemic. He later left Olimpia by agreement due to travel risks.
After Olimpia, Adebayor signed for Semassi, a club in Togo, in July 2021. He announced his retirement from professional football on 21 March 2023, when he was 39 years old.
Playing for Togo
Adebayor could have played for Nigeria, but he chose to play for his home country, Togo. He helped Togo qualify for the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations. He scored 11 goals in the qualifying games, more than any other player in Africa.
On 10 February 2009, Adebayor was named the African Footballer of the Year for 2008. This was the first time a player from Togo won this award.
Adebayor helped Togo qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. He played in all three group matches but did not score. Togo finished last in their group. He became the team captain after the World Cup.
Bus Attack Incident
On 8 January 2010, the Togo national team's bus was attacked with gunfire. This happened on their way to the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola. All the players survived, but three other people were killed. Togo had to leave the tournament.
Adebayor later announced he was retiring from international football. He said the attack haunted him. He returned to play for Togo in November 2011 after being promised better safety. He was called up again in 2018 and played in a qualifying match for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in 2019.
How He Played
When Adebayor joined Arsenal, his manager Arsene Wenger compared him to Nwankwo Kanu. Wenger said he was "tall, good in the air" and could make good runs. Adebayor even wore the same shirt number, 25, as Kanu at Arsenal. He was known for his speed, strength, and skill. He was also good at scoring goals and working with his teammates.
Off the Field
Adebayor is married and has a daughter named Kendra, born in June 2010. His nephew, Alex Harlley, is also a footballer.
When he was a child, Adebayor and his family lived in an apartment without electricity or bathrooms. They would go to the beach to shower. Adebayor has talked about his strong faith. He said he could not walk for the first four years of his life. His mother took him around Africa looking for a cure. He believes he had a "miracle" when he started walking after a ball rolled into a church where he was resting.
Adebayor has sometimes spoken about challenges with his family.
Achievements and Awards
Adebayor has won several awards and helped his teams achieve success:
- Monaco
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2003–04
- Arsenal
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2006–07
- Real Madrid
- Copa del Rey: 2010–11
- Crystal Palace
- FA Cup runner-up: 2015–16
- Togo
- Four Nations Tournament (Ghana) third place: 2007
- Individual Awards
- BBC African Footballer of the Year: 2007
- African Player of the Year: 2008
- BBC Goal of the Season: 2007–08
- Premier League PFA Team of the Year: 2007–08
Images for kids
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Adebayor warming-up with Manchester City in 2010
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Adebayor playing for Arsenal in 2008
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Adebayor in Manchester City colours.
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Adebayor with Real Madrid
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Adebayor in action for Tottenham Hotspur in November 2014
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Adebayor playing for Togo in May 2006
