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Emmanuel Adebayor's Explanation For THAT Celebration Against Arsenal Is Incredible

Emmanuel Adebayor's Explanation For THAT Celebration Against Arsenal Is Incredible

He says he has no regrets...

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

On 15 September 2009, one of the most memorable moments in Premier League history occurred when Emmanuel Adebayor, playing for Manchester City, celebrated wildly in front of Arsenal fans after scoring in a 4-2 win at the Etihad Stadium.

The Togolese striker made the move to City in the summer of 2009 and in his first outing against his former club, suffered heaps of insults and abuse from the visiting supporters, in addition to being booed all game.

Images: PA

And when Adebayor headed home City's third goal of the game, perfectly nodding the ball past Manuel Almunia after a pinpoint delivery from Shaun Wright-Phillips, he simply couldn't contain his emotions.

Running faster than he ever did in his whole career, he proceeded to dart down the opposite end of the pitch , where the Arsenal fans were situated, sliding right in front of them.

The top-tier shithousery landed him a £25,000 fine from the FA, but the man himself has no regrets whatsoever about the incident.

Explaining that it was all down to "the adrenaline", he told So Foot magazine,via The Mirror:

"Afterwards, I got told the English FA wanted to give me a nice fine, but even if I would have had to pay €2 million, considering what I went through, I would have still done it.

"I wasn't going to stand there, listening to five thousand people insult my family when they had nothing to do with it. During that moment, I felt like I weighed 20 kilos when I felt like I weighed 2000 kilos before the game.

"When I start to run, Wright-Phillips tries to catch me. He's small, so a shoulder barge sends him flying. Then there was Barry, very slow: a quick juke move and he's left behind. Around the centre circle was Kolo Toure, and he quickly realised it was better to just let me do my thing.

"When I slide on my knees, arms wide in front of the fans, I felt untouchable. People were throwing everything: phone, bottles of water. I never flinched. Everything flew past me. Pew, pew, like in the movies!

"It was like having a sensation of being in prison for so many years and suddenly being told: 'Brother, take the door and leave. Now, you are free'.That's what I felt, a deliverance."

Wow, what a summary of the incredible events that ensured eight years ago. Adebayor's stint at City, and career on the whole, petered out in the end but no-one is ever forgetting that moment.

Featured Image Credit: Getty/Telegraph

Topics: Manchester City, ​Emmanuel Adebayor, Arsenal