October 14th 2023.
Emmanuel Adebayor's infamous goal celebration against Arsenal is one of the most iconic in Premier League history. The Togo-born striker responded to scoring a crucial goal in a 4-2 victory by running the length of the pitch before performing a knee-slide in front of Arsenal's travelling support, resulting in a volley of abuse and hurled objects, including plastic stools, being thrown his way.
Now, 14 years later, Adebayor has urged Arsenal fans to let bygones be bygones and 'forget' his iconic goal celebration. In an interview with Sky Sports, the former Gunner said: "I think the fans can forget what happened in 2009 when I ran the length of the pitch."
Adebayor went on to explain his reasoning for the celebration, saying: "Today I will make it clear, I don't think any human being would accept it if people were singing about and insulting your family, especially your mother and father. I would do anything for my mother and father."
The incident resulted in Adebayor being slapped with a £25,000 fine and handed a suspended two-match ban by the Football Association, but he believes it is now high time to forgive and forget. He said: "It's behind me now, I hope it is behind them. We all love football. And every once in a while when they see that celebration on television and social media, hopefully now they can laugh it off and move on. That's what I wish for the Arsenal fans and I wish them the best of luck this year."
Adebayor has been encouraged by the progress made by his old club, with Mikel Arteta's present day Arsenal side enhancing their title credentials by ending a 12-game losing streak against Man City last weekend. He said: "Last season we were all rooting for them to win the league and they came very close. When it reached around January and February, I was telling all my friends, I hope these boys will not start dropping points. This is how it was with me when I was playing for Arsenal. We'd be first or second and then around February a player would get injured or suspended and that's it. The league is gone."
He concluded: "With Declan Rice, they have bought some good players. They have actually invested to win the league and go far in the Champions League. It's my old club and I wish them the best of luck."
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