Emmanuel Adebayor has accused Manchester City of sidelining him upon his return from a loan at Real Madrid in 2011. The clubs prepare for the Champions League round of 16 return leg at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
Early Impact and Rapid Decline
Adebayor etched his name into Manchester City history shortly after arriving from Arsenal. He famously sprinted the length of the pitch to celebrate a goal in front of Arsenal fans in 2009. The Togo striker delivered 14 goals across 31 appearances in the 2009/10 season but quickly lost favor with manager Roberto Mancini the following year.
Loan Return and Internal Exile
City loaned Adebayor to Real Madrid in January 2011. He returned that summer after a permanent transfer fell through. It soon became evident that Mancini excluded him from plans. Adebayor highlighted the club’s poor communication, learning via email from football director Brian Marwood’s secretary that he must report for training on July 9.
However, first-team players departed for the US preseason tour on July 8. “This is very hurtful and insulting and says a lot about Manchester City,” Adebayor stated. “On the one hand they want to become the biggest, most successful club in the world, yet the people who run the club are not acting in that way at all.”
“No one at City is man enough to speak to me face-to-face to explain. I just received an email from Brian Marwood’s secretary. But when I spoke to the other players, I found out the first team was leaving for the pre-season tour of the US on July 8. So it’s clear they don’t want me here but no one even called.”
Adebayor noted similar treatment affected at least six other players. Teammate Craig Bellamy voiced criticism of City that summer as well.
Mancini’s Mixed Signals
Earlier, after Adebayor scored twice for Madrid in a Champions League quarter-final, Mancini commented in April 2011: “I am happy for him that he is scoring goals and I hope he can continue to score. At the end of the season we will see. If he wants to stay, he can. I am happy for Manu because he is a good player.”
Despite this, Adebayor, who netted eight goals in 22 Madrid games, never rejoined the squad.
Revival at Tottenham
Instead, Adebayor moved to Tottenham Hotspur on a season-long loan. He thrived under Harry Redknapp, scoring 18 goals across all competitions. Spurs secured him permanently for £5 million in 2012. His final City outing occurred over 18 months earlier.
