ade bayor

arsenal

On 13 January 2006, Adebayor signed for Arsenal for a reported &3m. He was given the nickname "Baby Kanu" due to his resemblance to former Arsenal star Nwankwo Kanu, whom Adebayor had idolised as a youth. On 4 February 2006, Adebayor made his Arsenal debut in a Premiership match at Birmingham City and scored after 21 minutes, with Arsenal winning 2–0. At the end of his first season for the Gunners he had scored four goals in ten matches. However, Adebayor was cup-tied for Arsenal's 2005–06 Champions League campaign as they reached the final against Barcelona, having appeared for Monaco in the qualifying rounds of the competition.

Adebayor scored Arsenal's winning goal against Manchester United to give Arsenal a 1–0 win at Old Trafford, their first league win of the 2006–07 season. Earlier in the game, Adebayor was brought down in the six-yard box to earn Arsenal a penalty, which was taken by Gilberto Silva and saved. On 8 November 2006, Adebayor scored the only goal of the match to send Arsenal into the quarterfinals of the League Cup against Everton.

He 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 £7,500 for failing to leave the field of play immediately, as well as a three-match ban for the red card. Adebayor and Lampard both denied it.

On 19 January, after scoring twice against Fulham, the fans sang, "Adebayor, Adebayor, give him the ball, and he will score". After scoring a penalty during the 3–1 win over Portsmouth, his two goals against Tottenham helped Arsenal win 3–1 in the first North London derby of the season. Adebayor then scored his first hat-trick for Arsenal in a 5–0 home win against Derby County on 22 September; this was the second-ever hat-trick scored at the Emirates. He was involved in a controversial incident on 22 January in which he clashed with teammate Nicklas Bendtner seven minutes from the end of a 5–1 League Cup semifinal defeat to Tottenham. Bendtner appeared to cut his nose in the clash, for which Adebayor apologised the following day. Three days later he scored the hundredth goal at the Emirates during the side's 3–0 FA Cup victory over Newcastle United. Starting on 4 March against Milan, Adebayor went on a goalscoring streak in the Champions League.

Despite having never scored before in the competition, he scored a goal in the 2nd leg against Milan at the San Siro. On 13 April in a Premier League game against Manchester United, Adebayor scored Arsenal's only goal, a game which they lost 2–1 at Old Trafford. He scored his second hat-trick for Arsenal after coming off the bench at half time in the 6–2 win against Derby County on 28 April, making him the only player in the Premiership's history to score a hat-trick home and away against the same side in the same season. Although Arsenal finished the season empty handed, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year. Adebayor's second goal against Tottenham Hotspur won Match of the Day's Goal of the Season competition for the 2007–08 season. He was also awarded the BBC African Footballer of the Year for his performance in 2008.

On the summer transfer window he was linked with a £30 million move to Milan and Barcelona, but later insisted to stay at the club after he signed a long contract. On 13 September 2008, Adebayor scored a hat trick in Arsenal's 4–0 win away to Blackburn Rovers, getting his first league goals of the 2008–09 season. Adebayor received his first red card of the season in a 1–1 draw with Liverpool after an altercation with opposing defender Álvaro Arbeloa; this was his second bookable offence of the game and therefore served a one-match ban.

On 8 February, Adebayor suffered a hamstring injury in Arsenal's 0–0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur. The injury would keep him out for almost two months, despite initial estimations suggesting only a three week absence. He made a goalscoring return to action, scoring a brace on his return against Manchester City. On 7 April 2009, Adebayor equalized a goal for Arsenal in the Quarter finals of the Champions League against Villarreal, in which he chested the ball into his control and then performed a brilliant bicycle kick.

In the return leg at the Emirates Stadium a week later, he scored in a 3–0 Arsenal win, setting up a semi-final showdown with Manchester United. However, Adebayor was injured for the last two Premier League games and finished the season as Arsenal's second top goal scorer, scoring 16, behind Robin van Persie's 20 in all competitions.
Manchester City

On 18 July 2009, Adebayor signed a five-year contract with Manchester City, for a transfer fee believed to be in the region of £25 million. He scored a goal on his debut for City against Blackburn Rovers, smashing a shot from 18 yards past Paul Robinson in the third minute. On his home debut, Adebayor scored the only goal in the 17th minute in a 1–0 in over Wolverhampton Wanderers, assisted by fellow summer signing Carlos Tévez.

He scored in his third consecutive league match, heading the winner in a 1–0 away victory against Portsmouth. He then scored in his fourth consecutive match, this time against his former team, Arsenal in a 4–2 victory at the City of Manchester Stadium. As a result, he is one of only six players to score in their first four games for a club. In the match against Arsenal, Adebayor's former team mate Van Persie accused him of deliberately kicking him in the face, and he was later handed a three-match ban after being found guilty of violent conduct.

Adebayor was also criticized for running almost the full length of the pitch to the Arsenal supporters and celebrating in front of them after scoring his goal causing an angry reaction from the Arsenal supporters. He was booked for this, but did later apologize. Manchester City manager Mark Hughes suggested Adebayor did it because he wanted to be loved by Manchester City fans.

For the start of the 2010–11 season he was given the No.9 shirt instead of his favoured No.25 he previously wore at Arsenal and City. He scored his first hat-trick for Manchester City on the 21st October in a UEFA Europa League group stage match against Lech Poznań. In doing so, he became the first ever Manchester City player to score a hat-trick in a European competition. However during the 2010-11 season, Adebayor fell down the pecking order at Manchester City following the club purchasing Edin Džeko with Carlos Tévez and Mario Balotelli also being chosen ahead of him.