Emmanuel Adebayor, whose biography, sports career and personal life are described in this article, is a well-known footballer of the Togo team and the Turkish club Istanbul Bashaksehir. At one time, the striker was recognized as the best player in Africa.
Biographical data
Emmanuel Adebayor was born in February 1984 in Lome. Here he spent his entire childhood, and also began to play football professionally.
In his youth, Emmanuel played for local youth clubs. Thanks to his innate talent and hard training, Adebayor has always become the leader of each team in which he played.
In 1998, a young striker traveled with a Togolese team to international youth competitions in Europe. Here he liked the breeders of the French club "Metz". At the beginning of next year, Emmanuel Adebayor signed a contract with this team, after which he moved to Europe with his family.
The beginning of a professional career
After two seasons spent in the double “Metz”, Adebayor began to admit to the main team. His debut in a club from Lorraine came in 2001. Despite the small amount of time spent on the football field, the forward managed to pleasantly surprise both the spectators and the leadership of his team.
In the 2002/2003 season, Emmanuel Adebayor became Metz's top scorer with 13 goals scored. His excellent game helped the team return to the French Ligue 1. For Togolese strikers began to closely monitor the breeders of many European clubs, but the French “Monaco” was quick.
As part of the "Monegasques" Adebayor spent two and a half years. In the first season, he and his new team reached the Champions League final, where the French team lost to Port.
It was in “Monaco” fully revealed the striking talent of Emmanuel Adebayor. Soon he became not only the most productive player, but also the leader of his team. His name did not go astray by football experts, and sports journalists noted the interest in Togolese striker from many European grandees.
There were constantly rumors about Adebayor moving to different clubs. But the team “Manu” was replaced only in 2006, when he moved to England to play for the London “Arsenal”. During the time spent in “Monaco”, the striker played in 79 fights, in which he scored 18 goals.
English career stage
After moving to Misty Albion, Emmanuel Adebayor continued to do his favorite thing - to upset rivals. In his debut match for Arsenal against Birmingham, the striker immediately scored a goal. In total, the Togolese scored 8 goals that season.
In the next championship Adebayor became the main striker, “Gunners”. He managed to score 30 goals against opponents, while becoming the top scorer of Arsenal.
After the 2008/2009 season, in which Manu scored 16 goals for the London club, he moved to Manchester City for 25 million pounds. In the Premier League as part of the “Citizens” Adebayor entered the field in 26 matches, in which he defeated the opponents' goal 14 times. However, next season, due to great competition, Emmanuel began to lose his place in the first team. Therefore, the management of Manchester City decided to give the forward for rent to Real Madrid for six months.
Adebayor has established himself well during his time at the Royal Club. However, due to the overpriced prices for the striker, the management of Real did not use the buyback rights of the player, so he returned to Manchester.
The following season, footballer Emmanuel Adebayor was again leased, this time to Tottenham Hotspur. In 33 Premier League matches, the Togolese scored 17 goals. Inspired by such a forward game, the Spurs owners bought his contract for just 5 million pounds. As part of “Tottenham Hotspur” Adebayor spent three more seasons, played in 59 matches and scored 18 goals.
In January 2016, Emmanuel joined the Crystal Palace as a free agent. During the season, he entered the field in only 12 matches, in which he scored one goal.
The English phase of Adebayor’s career ended in 2017 when he signed a contract with the Turkish club Istanbul Bashahshehir. It is here that the legendary forward plans to return to the peak of his form. And the recent hat-trick against the Galatasaray gate is proof of that.
Team appearances
For the national team of Togo, Emmanuel Adebayor has been playing since 2000, but the most striking was the 2004th, when the forward scored 11 goals in the selection for the African Cup of Nations, becoming the top scorer in the Black Continent. Thanks to such a game of the striker, his country made its way into the final part of the world championship for the first time in its history.
in 2016, Adebayor announced his retirement from the national team, but soon returned to the national team again.
Personal life
Little is known about the extra-football life of the striker. At one time, the paparazzi several times noticed Emmanuel Adebayor and his girlfriend (who, according to rumors, was a Russian woman) in public, but they soon parted.
The legendary football player is known for his charity. He sponsored the construction of a clinic in his country. Also, money extracting and purifying water were installed on his money in rural areas of Togo.