Emmanuel Adebayor announced his retirement from club and international football at the age of 39 on Tuesday, March 21, ending a 22-year career in the game.
The former Metz, Real Madrid and Monaco forward who spent over a decade plying his trade in England – played for Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham and Crystal Palace has now called time on his career.
Adebayor took to official Instagram to announce his retirement revealing that he is excited for the next stage of his life.
“From the highs to the lows, my career as a professional athlete has been an incredible journey. Thank you to my fans for being there every step of the way.
“I am feeling so grateful for everything and I am excited for what is to come.”
The 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 Togolese footballer of the year represented Togo national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, the country’s debut, and to date only, appearance at the World Cup.
In January 2010, Adebayor was one of the players involved when the Togo team’s bus came under gunfire by terrorist on their way to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola. Three people were killed and nine people were injured in the attack, after which he retired from national team duty.
Three years after his National team retirement, Adebayor returned to the Togolese national team for the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa, where he helped them to qualify for the quarter-finals. He is currently Togo’s all-time top goalscorer with 32 goals.
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