Former Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor has announced his retirement from the game at the age of 39. Adebayor joined the blues from Arsenal in 2009 and spent three years at the club, but was loaned out to Real Madrid and Spurs for a couple of seasons before making a permanent move to White Hart Lane in 2012.
The Togolese international scored 19 goals in 34 appearances for City, which included 14 in his first season. He scored four goals in his first four matches as City beat Blackburn, Wolves, Portsmouth and Arsenal as City made a blistering start to the new season.
And, it was his goal against his former club that made all the headlines and gave City fans one of the most memorable moments of the ADUG era. With the blues 2-1 up, Adebayor scored with a powerful header to send the blues 3-1 ahead, but, rather than celebrating with his teammates, the striker ran the length of the pitch before sliding in celebration in front of the travelling Gunners supporters.
His actions sparked a furious reaction from the fans, who tried to pelt him with anything they could get their hands on, while the striker would later justify his actions, blaming the taunts of the visiting fans for his celebration.
In the same match, he stamped on former teammate Robin van Persie and, although the referee missed the incident, Adebayor received a retrospective ban, ruling him out of the Manchester derby.
The striker wouldn’t hit the back of the net again until late November, when his goal at Anfield put the blues 2-1 up. He hit his first brace for City during a 6-1 win at Burnley, scoring in the third and 45th minute, and scored another double in a 5-1 home win over Birmingham just over a week later.
New manager Roberto Mancini allowed Adebayor to join Madrid on loan, where he scored 8 goals in 14 matches. The following season, the striker moved to the other North London club, scoring 18 goals in 33 matches, prompting Spurs to sign him permanently.
In 2012, Adebayor featured for Spurs in the match at Etihad Stadium, which City won 2-1, the striker receiving a booking in the 76th minute. After spending a season at Crystal Palace, Adebayor spent four seasons in the Turkish league before finishing his career in Paraguay.
He becomes one of the few former blues never to score against us on his return to his old stomping ground.
What are your memories of Emmanuel Adebayor in blue?