Former Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor (middle) has revealed that the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa was his favourite.
One of the continent’s most iconic footballers has now revealed that the 2013 Africa Cup Nations in South Africa was his favourite.
The 2023 AFCON made global headlines during the months of January and February 2024, with many arguing that it was the most thrilling edition of the tournament to date.
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Hosted and won by the Ivory Coast, the showpiece was even praised by Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho for its use of VAR, with the technology often being a point of contention in European football.
Late goals, giant killings at the hands of minnows, and broken records made the recent AFCON an action-packed affair, but not everyone considers it to be their favourite.
Togo legend Emmanuel Adebayor has now revealed which tournament stood out for him the most.
Asked by CAF what is his personal favourite AFCON moment was, the 2008 African Footballer of the Year said: “I will say the one in South Africa in 2013.”
Capped 68 times for his country, the former striker played in four AFCON tournaments: in 2002, 2006, 2013, and 2017.
Notably, the 2013 AFCON was initially supposed to be hosted by Libya but due to a civil war in that country, they opted to swap the hosting rights with South Africa, who were set to stage the 2017 tournament, which, in turn, had to be staged by Gabon as Libya could not fulfil the commitment then either.
During that showpiece 11 years ago, Togo were drawn in what many described as the group of death alongside Ivory Coast, Algeria, and Tunisia.
Led by Adebayor as captain, Togo made it out of their group and clinched their first-ever spot in the quarter-finals of what was then a 16-team tournament.
It was also a historic moment for Adebayor, who scored his first and only goal at an AFCON against Algeria in the group stage.
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Source link : https://www.snl24.com/kickoff/worldnews/african-football/african-legend-emmanuel-adebayor-my-favourite-afcon-was-in-south-africa-20240712
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Publish date : 2024-07-12 17:10:42
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