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 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 Adebayor first vowed to leave the tournament and return home, although he later rescinded and resumed training with the side.[6] He played in Togo's two remaining fixtures, where he impressed despite not scoring; Togo were eliminated after losing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.[7] However, Adebayor has been brought back into the Togo fold as of September 2007.

On January 13, 2006, Adebayor signed for Arsenal for an undisclosed fee, which is rumoured to be around £3 million.[1] He was assigned shirt number 25, which previously belonged to, among others, Nigerian striker Nwankwo Kanu. In an interview with Arsenal.com, Adebayor said that he chose that shirt number because he idolised Kanu while he was a young player. Like Kanu, he also wears the number 4 shirt when playing for his national team. The two players also share an extraordinary physical resemblance, earning Adebayor the affectionate nickname 'Baby Kanu' in homage to the former Arsenal man.[2] In fact, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger even described Adebayor as "Kanu with pace" when he signed him. He has also been compared with many fans and journalist as "a new Drogba" with his silky control, powerful body and ability in the air.

On February 4, 2006, the forward made his Arsenal debut 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 four goals in ten matches. However, Adebayor was cup-tied for Arsenal's 2005–06 Champions League run and missed the final against Barcelona, as he had appeared for Monaco in the UEFA Cup earlier that season.

In the 2006–07 season, Adebayor proved to be an able replacement for the injured captain Thierry Henry. It was on September 17, 2006, when Adebayor won a place in the hearts of Arsenal fans forever. 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. 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. However, 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 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.

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; 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. 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.

After a fruitful pre-season, displaying vast impr

Adebayor started his professional career at a training camp in Lomé. He made it to Under-15 level and was spotted by French club, FC Metz. After a trial, Adebayor joined the club in 1999 and after playing at the Under-17 level for two years he moved up to the first team. In his first season, he played nine games and scored twice, however he could not stop them from being relegated. In the 2002–03 season Adebayor scored 17 goals in 35 games, which attracted the attention of top clubs including Arsenal and Juventus.

However, it was AS Monaco who signed him. In the 2003–04 season he scored seven goals in 17 matches for them, helping them to reach the Champions League final with two goals in ten games