Emmanuel Adebayor has rejected calls for him to become Togo’s national coach.
However the ex-Arsenal star declared his intention to be an ambassador for the west African team.
AFPEmmanuel Adebayor has rejected calls to become Togo manager[/caption]
And the former Manchester City, Tottenham and Crystal Palace striker said he will soon seek talks with Togo’s sports minister about a role with the national set-up.
The 39-year-old is his country’s most high-profile player of all time.
The former captain made 87 Hawks appearances, scoring a record 32 goals.
Many local fans now want Adebayor to replace under-fire Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte, who has been in charge since 2021.
But the newly-retired forward said: “Being national coach is not at all what Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor is about.
“I’m not planning to become the Togo Hawks’ coach. I know what my temperament is like.
“But I could be an ambassador for the team, someone who accompanies my young brothers and shares my experience with them.
“I have played at the World Cup, and in an Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final. I could tell the players how to prepare for big games, and how to relax.
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“Once the current Africa Cup of Nations has finished, I will try to have talks with the Minister for Sport and the authorities.
“I want to see how I can make a contribution. All I want to do is to lend support to my country.”
Born in Togo’s capital Lome, Adebayor joined Arsenal from Monaco in 2006.
He made 142 Gunners appearances, scoring 62 goals, before joining City in 2009.
Besides his four Premier League clubs he played also for Real Madrid, Metz, Turkish sides Istanbul Basaksehir and Kayserispor, and Paraguayan outfit Olimpia.
Adebayor ended his playing career with Togolese club Semassi, hanging up his boots last March.
Getty – ContributorAdebayor made 87 appearances for Togo[/caption]
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