Former Togo international striker Emmanuel Adebayor has announced his retirement from football at the age of 39.
He previously played for English clubs Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace, as well as French side Metz, Monégasque team Monaco, Spanish team Real Madrid, Turkish clubs İstanbul Başakşehir and Kayserispor, and Paraguay's Club Olimpia.
He was voted African Footballer of the Year for 2008 while playing at Arsenal, and during his latter career, when he joined Olimpia Asunción in 2020, he became the highest paid player in Paraguay.
Adebayor represented the 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 on the way to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, after which he retired from national team duty. In 2013, he returned to the Togo 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.
He scored 32 goals in 85 matches for the Togo national team.
▪︎ BBC African Footballer of the Year: 2007
▪︎African Player of the Year: 2008
▪︎Premier League PFA Team of the Year: 2007–08
"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 posted on Instagram.