Emmanuel Adebayor reveals why he rejected France call-up

Former Arsenal man Emmanuel Adebayor has explained why he turned down France to play for Togo in his international career

The 37-yer-old, who also played for Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League, has admitted he had an option to represent France at junior level, but rejected the offer.

“I had made my choice a long time ago because since I was playing for U15, I don’t have a choice,” Adebayor told 3Sports as quoted by Headtopics.

“Why did they give me a choice to play for France or Togo, I told them to forget it, it’s never going to happen. I can’t see myself playing for a national team of France.

“I’d have to go back home. I’m from Togo and I was born in Togo. So for me, I will die as an African so telling them those things but they have to decide what they want.”

Born in Lome to parents of Yoruba ethnicity, Adebayor spent most of his youth in Togo, where he attended the Sports Development Centre of Lome and was spotted by scouts from Metz, who brought him to France in 1999.

Adebayor, voted African Footballer of the Year for 2008 while playing at Arsenal, was part of the Togo team that featured at the 2006 World Cup and also at the 2013 Afcon in South Africa, where he helped the Sparrowhawks to qualify for the quarter-finals.