His next confrontation with Arsenal's angry fans is not
until April but Emmanuel Adebayor has pulled no punches in the
latest salvo in his war of words with them.
The Manchester City striker has again accused Gunners fans of
being "jealous" and unappreciative of his contribution during his
time at the Emirates.
Despite the furore over his stamp on Robin van Persie and THAT
goal celebration in City's explosive win over Arsenal last month,
however, Adebayor maintains he is not one of the most hated players
in the country and insists the only animosity towards him comes
from fans of his old club.
The £25million marksman has also rejected claims that he only
moved to the City of Manchester Stadium in the summer for money.
"There may be people who are jealous of what I am about and have
achieved in the game, despite my humble background," he said.
"People can say what they want and I will just score goals in a
team that wants me to be here, and in front of fans that appreciate
me. "I’m happy at City and people who question my decision to come
here can go away.
"To be a part of City’s first Premier League title, getting into
the Champions League is a great challenge for me. I’m here for the
football, not money."
Adebayor's rags to riches tale has seen him catapulted from
being part of a desperately poor family from a suburb of the
Togolese capital Lome to becoming one of the richest footballers in
Europe with a £180,000-a-week salary.
Far from time healing the festering rift between himself and
Arsenal's fans and players, however, there remains no love lost
between the two parties. Only this week Van Persie said he didn't
want to "waste his time" talking about his former team-mate.
Arsenal fans were incensed that Adebayor was not hit with an FA
ban for running the length of the field and celebrating in front of
them after scoring in City's 4-2 win over the Gunners on September
13. Yet defiant Adebayor maintained afterwards that he had done
nothing wrong and would do the same again in a similar situation.
Tellingly, however, he has admitted for the first time being hurt
by the abuse and racist songs he was subjected to.
He said: "No-one likes bad things said about them but I am used
to it now. I refuse to back down if I believe something is right –
that is my nature. If people do not like it, then I am sorry. "I
feel I am a good influence on the dressing room and my team-mates
and that is the main thing, above all. Sometimes I think I am
disliked because I show too much emotion… I’m afraid that will
never change.
"My final year at Arsenal was difficult, so it was an easy
decision to move. Some of the fans would never forgive me after
some clubs tried to sign me a year ago, but what could I do? "I
scored 30 goals for Arsenal two seasons ago and it was all
forgotten because the fans decided I was not loyal any more when
Barcelona and AC Milan showed interest in me. It was hard to take
and there did not seem to be anything I could do to change their
mind."
So far this season Adebayor has rediscovered his scoring form at
City with four in his first six games before his enforced lay-off
following the Van Persie incident. Since then he has failed to
score against Wigan and Fulham but remains a key man in their bid
to break into the top four.
As such he maintains will continue to speak his mind, regardless
of the impact his controversial words will have. He added: "I’m a
guy who likes to say what he feels and will never sit back quietly
in the corner if something is not right. "I always saw myself as a
leader and, since my father passed away, it’s a role I have become
used to.
"I have three brothers and two sisters and everyone began to
fight when my father left us, so it needed someone strong to stand
up and make some peace. I made sure this happened and now everyone
is coming to terms with our loss. When you experience something so
sad, football is not a pressure."
City currently sit sixth in the Premier League but Adebayor
believes that his fierce determination - along with that of
in-form, outspoken team-mate Craig Bellamy - will force the club
into title contention. "I heard all about his reputation and he has
also attracted bad things said about him. But like me I think he is
a winner.
"He shows passion for the team and becomes unhappy when he
thinks there is more effort or skill required. I respect that. As I
say we have come to Manchester to win things, not to have just a
nice time."