Emmanuel Adebayor

He has started his career at a training camp in Lomé. Now he is playing in Arsenal, he's compared to Kanu.

Emmanuel Adebayor (born February 26, 1984 in Lomé, Togo) is a Togolese football player who currently plays for Arsenal. He had previously played for FC Metz and AS Monaco. Nicknamed "Sheyi", he is of Nigerian descent via his parents who were born in the Osun State in south-west Nigeria.
On February 4, 2006, he made his Arsenal début in a Premiership match at Birmingham City and scored after 21 minutes; Arsenal won 2-0. At the end of his first season for the Gunners he had scored 4 goals in 10 matches. However, Adebayor was cup-tied for Arsenal's 2006 Champions League run and missed the final against FC Barcelona, as he had appeared for Monaco in the Champions League earlier that season.
In the 2006-07 season, Adebayor has proved to be an able replacement for injured captain Thierry Henry. It was on September 17, 2006, when Adebayor won a place in the hearts of Arsenal fans for ever. Adebayor scored Arsenal's winning goal against rivals Manchester United, to give Arsenal a 1-0 win at Old Trafford, their first league win of the 2006-07 season. Cristiano Ronaldo lost possession of the ball to Cesc Fàbregas, who then threaded a through ball to Adebayor, who stroked the ball under goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak. Earlier in the game, Adebayor had himself been brought down by Kuszczak to earn Arsenal a penalty. Unfortunately, Gilberto Silva had his penalty saved. On November 8, 2006, Adebayor scored the only goal of the match to send a youthful Arsenal side into the quarter finals of the League Cup against a vastly experienced Everton F.C. side, popping up at the back post unmarked to head home the winner. On December 2, 2006, Adebayor continued endearing himself to the red side of north London by scoring the first goal in Arsenal's 3-0 Premiership win over Tottenham Hotspur.
On December 13, 2006, Adebayor once again demonstrated his knack of scoring crucial goals as he scored the winner in a 1-0 win at the JJB Stadium against Wigan. In the 88th minute, after a long ball from Fàbregas, and a well timed run, Adebayor was able to poke the ball under and between the legs of the advancing Chris Kirkland. On December 16, 2006, Adebayor came on for Arsenal when they were losing 2-0 at home to Portsmouth F.C.; he scored within minutes, slotting in a perfect cross from Theo Walcott and Arsenal went on to draw after his cross was slotted home by Gilberto Silva, via a mis-control from Walcott. Adebayor's next appearance for the Gunners on December 23, 2006 resulted in him converting the third goal, a penalty, in a 6-2 victory over Blackburn Rovers. He further contributed by assisting another two goals, firstly for Alexander Hleb and the second for Robin van Persie.
His next goal came in the second leg of the semi final of the Carling Cup. With the scores at 0-0 (though Arsenal holding an advantage due to a 2-2 draw in the previous leg) Adebayor slotted past the goalkeeper his left foot after Tomas Rosicky had cleverly played him through.
Adebayor was sent off in Arsenal's 2-1 Carling Cup final loss to Chelsea. He was shown the red card after a fracas towards the end of the match involving both Chelsea and Arsenal players. It was alleged that he had thrown a punch at Frank Lampard. The FA subsequently gave him an additional one-match ban and a fine of £7500 for failing to leave the field of play immediately, as well as a three-match ban for the red card.
Adebayor had a goal scoring drought as he failed to score for a few months, however he ended it by again scoring a goal in the North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur. He powerfully headed home a Cesc Fabregas free-kick in the second half to give Arsenal a 2-1 lead. On this occasion he was reprimanded by the Football Association for his elaborate celebrations. Adebayor was adjudged to have riled Spurs fans by screaming "AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGA" and furiously pumping his arms in front of the home support.
In may of 2007, Adebayor signed a long-term contract with Arsenal, believed to be for 4 years, almost doubling his previous weekly wages. By resigning with Arsenal, Adebayor snubbed Manchester United and Juventus who were reportedly trying to sign the lanky striker.
On the international front, Adebayor helped Togo qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany by scoring 11 goals in the qualifiers, more than any other player in the African qualifiers. He has been nominated twice for African Footballer of the Year.
His first footballing action following his move to Arsenal came for Togo at the 2006 African Cup of Nations, where he was only a substitute for the country's first match, following a row with the coach. Adebayor first vowed to leave the tournament and return home, although he later rescinded and resumed training with the side. He played in Togo's two remaining fixtures, where he impressed despite not scoring; Togo were eliminated after losing all three matches.
Adebayor was axed by the Togo national team following the row over bonus payments.

Arsenal
26 February 1984
Source: Wikipedia