Emmanuel Adebayor

Senior career

2001–2003 Metz

2003–2006 Monaco

2006–2009 Arsenal

2009–2012 Manchester City

2011 → Real Madrid (loan)

2011–2012 → Tottenham Hotspur (loan)

2012–2015 Tottenham Hotspur

2016 Crystal Palace

2017–2019 İstanbul Başakşehir

2019 Kayserispor

2020 Olimpia

2021– Semassi

National team

2000–2019 Togo

About Adebayor

Emmanuel Adebayor is a Togolese striker who joined Arsenal in January of 2006. He has been likened to the ex-Gunner Kanu because of his style of play and gangly movements on the pitch. Adebayor has chosen the number 25 shirt because he idolises Kanu, who wore the shirt before him.

Adebayor started his career with French club Metz before falling out with the coach and being transfer listed. Arsenal were interested at the time, but lost the race to sign him and Adebayor joined AS Monaco instead. In 2003-04, he scored 7 goals in 17 matches and helped Monaco to the Champions League final.

Adebayor is a full international for his country and helped Togo qualify for the World Cup in Germany, scoring 11 goals in the qualifiers.

He is a tall player, and seems more content to lead the attack high through the middle rather than drop deep or to the wings, like Henry. Arsène Wenger: "He has qualities that we don't have in the side. He is tall, good in the air and makes good runs. He is a bit of a Kanu type but he goes in more behind the defenders."

Manchester City

Emmanuel Adebayor signed for Manchester City during the 2009 summer transfer window. He signed a 5-year deal with Manchester city on the 18th of July. Arsenal are believed to have received a sum of around £25 million pounds for his transfer. He scored on his Premiership debut against Blackburn Rovers in the 3rd minute. Adebayor was not the only Arsenal player to sign for Mancheser City over the 2009 transfer window, defender Kolo Toure also joined Manchester City for a fee of around £17 million.

Style of Play

Adebayor is a forward who plays both as a target man with his back to goal and as the striker wanting a through ball. He also often drops deep to link up play with the midfield, particularly in wide positions, to bring team mates into play. He uses his physical presence to win aerial balls and has scored 26% of his Arsenal goals with his head.

The Togolese targetman has every attribute – pace, skill, strength and aerial ability – plus a tremendous work-rate. There were many great goals to choose from but the stand-out strike were the volleys at Tottenham and Newcastle.

However Emmanuel is not only spectacular but consistent as well. Between last December and early February he scored in nine consecutive games Arsenal, hitting the net 12 times in total. Just after that run he also ended an odd anomaly of not having scored in the Champions League. That goal came in the final seconds at Milan.

That was another example of Emmanuel’s handy knack of scoring big goals in big games. But then we could have predicted that after he notched just 21 minutes into his debut in January 2006 after moving from Monaco.

He received a Champions League runners-up medal in 2004 with the French side but started his career as a 17-year-old with Metz. Emmanuel has twice been nominated as African Footballer of the Year and his 11 goals for Togo in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup was the best on his Continent.

He finished third in Arsenal.com Player of the Season poll last term.