Emmanuel Adebayor confirms his retirement from football at the age of 39

Emmanuel Adebayor retires from football at 39, with THAT Man City goal against Arsenal front and centre in a bizarre announcement video, seven years after leaving the Premier League for Turkey and Togo

  • Emmanuel Adebayor has called time on his professional football career
  • He made the announcement with a bizarre video on Instagram on Tuesday
  • The video included his infamous goal for Man City against former club Arsenal 

Former Premier League striker Emmanuel Adebayor has announced his retirement from football at the age of 39.

Adebayor spent over a decade in England playing for Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham and Crystal Palace but has now called time on his career and made the announcement with a bizarre video on Instagram.

The short video included a clip of his infamous goal for City against former club Arsenal in 2009, arguably the most memorable of his career, as he followed it by running the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Arsenal fans.

Alongside the video, Adebayor posted the caption: ‘SEA, 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’m feeling so grateful for everything, and excited for what’s to come!’

Emmanuel Adebayor has confirmed his retirement with a bizarre announcement video

Adebayor then wrote a message on a piece of paper that read: ‘Thanks for the blessings!!!’

Interestingly, the only two goals Adebayor included in his retirement video were from his time at City.

The forward did have some bright moments at his other clubs, though, winning the African Footballer of the Year award in 2008 during his time at Arsenal.

He was also named Togo’s Footballer of the Year for five consecutive years between 2005 and 2009, and the video did contain footage of him draped in his country’s national flag.

Adebayor spent most of his peak years in England, but also enjoyed spells in France with Metz and Monaco at the start of his career, and had a brief stint at Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2011.

After moving back to England following his time in Madrid, Adebayor had three years at Tottenham and six months at Palace before moving to Turkey to join Istanbul Basaksehir at the start of 2017.

He would go on to play for fellow Turkish outfit Kayserispor, prior to trying his luck in Paraguay with Olimpia.

He finished his career back in his homeland at Semassi, and is now walking away from the sport after over two decades as a professional. 

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