- Adebayor revealed if he regrets his infamous celebration for Manchester City
- It came in his first match against Arsenal after moving for £25million in 2009
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Ruben Amorim looks desperate… it’s a last resort to publicly out your players
Former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor has revealed whether or not he regrets his controversial celebration for Manchester City against the Gunners.
The incident went down in Premier League history as one of the most unforgettable celebrations of all time.
It saw the ex-striker run the length of the pitch to celebrate in front Arsenal’s travelling support after scoring during a league match on his first appearance against his former club.
Having joined Arsenal from French club Monaco in January 2006, the Togolese striker spent three years in north London before moving to Manchester in a deal that was worth around £25million.
After becoming popular with large sections of the Arsenal fan base, Adebayor quickly drew their ire by making a switch that many Gunners fans perceived as an act of betrayal at the time.
Former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor has given an honest response when questioned over his infamous celebration for Manchester City against the Gunners
In an interview with Optus Sport, he said that he ‘will never regret that celebration’
As a result, in his first competitive match against Arsenal after signing for the Citizens, Adebayor responded in earnest by scoring a powerful header in a game that saw City run out as 4-2 winners.
After scoring, Adebayor compounded the misery of Arsenal fans inside Etihad Stadium by running the entire pitch and finishing with a knee-slide celebration.
Now, he has issued an honest response when he was asked if he regrets celebrating in such fashion.
In an interview with Optus Sport, he said that he ‘will never regret that celebration’.
He added that the reason he did so was because Arsenal fans were ‘singing [a defamatory song], abusing my parents’.
Adebayor said that he experienced a moment of ‘deliberation’ upon scoring against his former employers and he felt as though he had to ‘give something back’.
It comes after Adebayor expressed similar sentiments in an interview with Sky Sport in October 2023.
He said at the time: ‘I think the fans can forget what happened in 2009 when I ran the length of the pitch’.
It saw the ex-striker run the length of the pitch to celebrate in front Arsenal’s travelling support after scoring during a Premier League match in September 2009 on his first appearance against his former club
The striker, who’d left Arsenal for City weeks earlier, enraged the travelling Gunners fans
Adebayor was one of several signings Abu Dhabi-backed City made in the summer of 2009
‘Today I will make it clear, I don’t think any human being would accept it if people were singing about and insulting your family, especially your mother and father.
‘I would do anything for my mother and father.
‘It’s behind me now, I hope it is behind them. We all love football and every once in a while when they see that celebration on television and social media, hopefully now they can laugh it off and move on.
‘That’s what I wish for the Arsenal fans and I wish them the best of luck this year.’
