Former striker for Manchester City and Arsenal, Emmanuel Adebayor, has announced his retirement at the age of 39.
Throughout a professional career that began in 2001 with Metz, the former Togo international also spent time with Real Madrid, Tottenham, and Crystal Palace.
In 2003, Adebayor moved from Metz to Monaco, where he caught the attention of legendary Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who brought him to the Premier League in January 2006.
He was reportedly paid a reported £25 million by City in July 2009, and in September of that same year, he made headlines for sprinting the length of the pitch to celebrate a goal in front of Arsenal fans.
He joined Real Madrid for a short loan spell in January 2011 after falling out of favour under Roberto Mancini and then moved to Tottenham – initially on loan – in August that year.
After having his contract terminated by mutual consent in September 2015, Adebayor had a nomadic end to his career, featuring for Palace, Istanbul Basaksehir, Kayserispor and Olimpia before returning to Togo with Semassi in July 2021.
Announcing his retirement with a video on Instagram, Adebayor said: “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!”