The career of Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor has slid rapidly downhill in recent years…
Emmanuel Adebayor has to go down as one of the biggest mysteries in football. As a player he certainly has talent, but his endless acts of petulance and his ability to wind up his own teammates and supporters, not to mention everyone else, have consistently held him back.
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Very few footballers can boast a CV as strong as his, a record that includes spells with Monaco, Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid, as well as current employers Tottenham Hotspur.
He’s scored a highly respectable 176 career goals in 483 club appearances, as well has hitting an additional 29 strikes in 63 appearances for Togo. He’s been voted into the PFA team of the year, and has twice won African player of the year awards.
However, the latest reports regarding his future at White Hart Lane – which is still far from certain – certainly make uncomfortable reading. The Daily Mail leads with the headline: ‘Emmanuel Adebayor says he can handle the boos, aiming to make money not friends in pursuit of goals’.
That’s never what you want to hear from your first-choice striker. His attitude comes in stark contrast to that of youngster Harry Kane, who has thrived under Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino this season, and gone from perennial bench warmer to the club’s top scorer.
Adebayor, who has recently returned from compassionate leave – granted after a family member fell ill – discussed his imminent return to first-team action, by saying that the fans’ opinion had little impact on his performances.
“For me, I am not here to win any fans back. I am here to do my job as a professional,” he said,
“I just want to play football and enjoy myself. I know if you do good, they will applaud you. I know if you do bad, they will boo you. It is as simple as that.
“A lot of people say I always play for contracts — at the end of the day, we are all footballers. This is my life, this is my work, this is what I do to feed my family. At the moment I have a contract with Tottenham, I am committed to the club and I will always give my best to my club.”
The £100,000-a-week man has scored just twice for the club this season, but added: “Obviously I expect to see the season out with them otherwise I would have come out and said I want to leave.”
From his infamous length of the pitch celebration for City against former club Arsenal, to his blatant disregard for the Gunners – who contributed massively to his career success – and his latest comments regarding Tottenham, there is just no pleasing Adebayor.
Now 30 years-old, he is in the twilight years of his career. Maybe one day he will look back and think about what could have been, as one of the world’s top attacking prospects a decade ago, fades away into mediocrity.
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