Emmanuel Adebayor has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 39.

Emmanuel Adebayor celebrates after scoring a goal for Arsenal against Tottenham during a Premiership match at the Emirates football stadium on December 22, 2007. Arsenal won the match 2-1. The photo is credited to CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images.
Emmanuel Adebayor celebrates after scoring a goal for Arsenal against Tottenham during a Premiership match at the Emirates football stadium on December 22, 2007. Arsenal won the match 2-1. The photo is credited to CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images.

Emmanuel Adebayor has hung up his boots and it is perhaps the biggest indictment of his career that most people thought that happened years ago.

Adebayor’s departure from Arsenal to Manchester City in 2009 left a sour taste in the mouths of Arsenal fans, to say the least, but his behaviour when he faced his former club made it all so much worse.

Adebayor had been an important player for the club, scoring 62 goals (with 19 assists) in 142 games, but he left in acrimonious circumstances after he was accused of holding the club to ransom over a new contract as he chased Manchester City’s cash.

Then, after changing his mind and deciding he wanted to stay with Arsenal, Arsene Wenger showed him the door anyway.

He never forgot that and was guaranteed to lose his head when he faced Arsenal after leaving.

Togo's national football team Togolese forward Emmanuel Adebayor smiles during a training session on January 18, 2017 in Bitam during the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations football tournament in Gabon.
Togo’s national football team Togolese forward Emmanuel Adebayor smiles during a training session on January 18, 2017 in Bitam during the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations football tournament in Gabon. (ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP via Getty Images)

With Manchester City, he almost provoked a riot when he ran the full length of the pitch to goad Arsenal fans.

Then, after being binned by City and picked up by Spurs, he lasted just 17 minutes of the North London derby before being sent off for a foul on Santi Cazorla in one of the 5-2s.

In between playing for City and Spurs, Adebayor somehow found himself at Real Madrid, where he played 22 times and scored eight goals.

Adebayor began his career with FC Metz in 2001 and later transferred to AS Monaco in 2003. He caught the attention of Arsene Wenger, the legendary Arsenal manager, and joined the Premier League in January 2006.

In July 2009, Manchester City paid £25m to sign Adebayor and it was just a few months later when he performed his ‘celebration’.

After falling out of favour with City manager Roberto Mancini, he was off to Real Madrid before joining Tottenham, initially on loan, in August of the same year.

After ending his contract with Spurs in September 2015, Adebayor played for Crystal Palace, Istanbul Başakşehir, Kayserispor, Olimpia Asuncion, and Semassi, the last team he played for.

He finishes playing with a career total of 593 appearances, 207 goals, 65 assists, and six red cards.

In terms of trophies, he won the Spanish Cup with Real Madrid.

Adebayor blames Wenger for his Arsenal departure

Robin van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor
LONDON – OCTOBER 29:Robin Van Persie of Arsenal celebrates with hs team mate Emmanuel Adebayor of Arsenal after Van Persie scored during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium on October 29, 2008 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

“Mourinho is the one of the managers I loved and will always love,” Adebayor said in 2018.

“He is one of the (most) honest managers I have met in my career, which is crazy because most of the managers are all kind of like fake.

“As an example, I had a meeting with Arsene Wenger in his office when he told me I had to leave because he doesn’t see my future any more in Arsenal. I have to move on in my life.

“I was like ‘I’m going to stay.’ He was like ‘no there is not even a fight organised. We are not going to organise any fight for you. You move out or you stay here and don’t play any games.’

“So I didn’t have any other choice than joining Man City which I was very happy to join.

“And the next day when I joined Manchester City I saw him doing a press conference in London saying that I wanted to leave because the money was big and everything and since that day that is where the hate for Arsenal came from.

“Not the fans because the fans are the first English fans to sing my name in London.

“Even today when I watch them play I want them to win but at the same time I want them to lose because the anger in me is too big.

“Mourinho is a manager that wants to win a trophy no matter what it takes, even if he has to park the bus, the train or a plane he just wants to win and will do everything it takes to win.

“He will not sleep. He will work 24 hours to win one game and Arsene just loves to bring kids in and make them become big players. He is like a teacher.”