Emmanuel Adebayor has said he will never regret his goal celebration against his former club Arsenal.
Adebayor ended the 2007/08 season with 30 goals in all competitions as Arsenal only narrowly missed out on the Premier League title and were moments away from reaching the Champions League semi-finals.
However, a bitter contract wrangle ensued the next summer as several top European clubs courted Adebayor.
And although he signed a new deal on improved wages, his relationship with Wenger never recovered and the forward was let go the following summer and joined Premier League rivals Manchester City.
Adebayor scored against the Gunners when they faced City at the Etihad Stadium just four games after his switch.
He further enraged Arsenal fans after the goal when he ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the away fans, an act which earned him a £25,000 fine and a two-match suspended ban from the Football Association.
Reflecting back on the celebration, Adebayor insisted that he had no regrets and said it was merely a reaction to the abuse hurled at him by Arsenal fans prior and during the match.
“When we get to the stadium…we’re walking across the pitch, Arsenal fans are already at the stadium singing that famous song, ‘Adebayor, Adebayor, give him the ball and he will score’ but this time around I realise the song is different but I couldn’t hear what they were saying properly, Adebayor was qouted on Metro.
“So as we went to the restaurant and as we were eating Micah Richards spoke to me. He brought the song up and obviously the newest version was attacking my parents, my mother and my father.
“At that moment, I was like you can insult me as you want but not my parents, not those who gave me a chance to be who I am, not those who gave me a chance to represent your club and score goals for your club.
“So when I came out, inside I was boiling and my spirit went up and I had to do something. Arsenal fans were just singing that song, abusing my parents and when I scored that goal, for me it is one of deliberation. I had to give something back.
“A lot of people ask me, do I regret it? No, of course not. I will never regret that celebration because of where the anger came from. I think God chose me to score that goal to show them.”
After two years at City, Adebayor had spells at several clubs, including Real Madrid, Tottenham and Istanbul Basaksehir, before retiring from professional football in March 2023.
He ended his career with 205 goals in 591 appearances, including a record of 62 goals in 142 matches whilst at Arsenal.
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