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Legends

Happy Birthday Emmanuel Adebayor!

While many will remember Emmanuel Adebayor for his prolific form at Arsenal, or his infamous celebration after scoring for the Gunners with Manchester City, or even a prolific season with Tottenham Hotspur, for fans of Ligue 1 McDonald's he'll be forever linked with his youth in France's top flight, helping AS Monaco to a fine run after breaking through with FC Metz. While he never returned to Ligue 1 after joining Arsenal in 2006, the memories of his five seasons in France are indelible, and to celebrate his 41st birthday, we're featuring a look back at several of them.
E. DEVIN
Published on 02/26/2025 at 07:30
2-minute read
Join us in wishing the former Metz and Monaco striker a happy 41st birthday!

Breaking through with Metz

Born in the Togolese capital of Lomé, Adebayor started playing football there for various amateur sides before being spotted by FC Metz at the age of 15. Long known for their connections with Senegalese football, the eastern side brought Adebayor along slowly but it wasn't long before his talent made itself manifest, and he made his first appearances aged just 17. Despite the teenager scoring twice that season, Metz were unable to avoid the drop.

In Ligue 2, however, Adebayor showed the first glimmers of his nascent stardom, scoring 15 goals in all competitions as the club won an immediate return to the top flight. Only three players scored more in the league, and Adebayor was also instrumental in helping Les Grenats reach the Coupe de France quarterfinals, as well as the semifinals of the Coupe de la Ligue. With such bravura performances before his twentieth birthday, it was inevitable that Adebayor would have suitors, and indeed a call from AS Monaco would soon change his career path irrevocably. 

 

A Champions League Final with Monaco

While Adebayor wasn't the most prolific striker during his spell in the Principality, being somewhat overshadowed the likes of Fernando Morientes and Dado Prso, he nevertheless injected a youthful brio to a team that would make history by reaching the final of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history.  Of a run that included wins over Real Madrid and Chelsea, Adebayor was impressed (but not overawed) by the occasion, telling the club's website, "What struck me was seeing the Bernabeu for the first time in the colors of AS Monaco. When I saw players like Raúl, Zidane, Roberto Carlos… It was an African kid’s dream, and seeing them and then playing against them, there is nothing more beautiful."

While his subsequent seasons with the club only showed flickers of promise, a move to Arsenal in 2006 marked a momentous year in which he also helped Togo qualify for the World Cup.  With the Gunners, he would score more than sixty goals, starting an impressive career in England. In his later years, he also spent a season on loan with Real Madrid and time in Turkiye, before eventually retiring to his native country, where works with a charity that he helped found.

Read more:

>> Corentin Tolisso: Lyon's veteran midfielder reborn

>> Jubal: Auxerre's stalwart Brazilian

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