Former Togolese international Emmanuel Adebayor has revealed why he didn’t continue to play for Ghana despite early opportunities at the junior level.
According to the former Arsenal and Manchester City striker, he had the opportunity to represent Ghana at the junior level but struggled with communication in camp. Unable to understand Twi or Ga, he felt isolated and decided to leave.
“In interschools, I was captain, then we played inter-district, I was captain, then we played inter-region, I was captain at the time. Then I got the opportunity for the national team, we went to camp in Accra. When I went to camp, they were speaking Twi, Ga—I couldn’t understand. So around 4 a.m., I carried my bag, carried my box, and the first trotro—we call it a bus—going towards Lomé, back home,” he said.
Adebayor eventually made his debut for Togo in 2000, becoming the nation’s all-time top scorer. He led them to their first-ever FIFA World Cup in 2006 and won the African Footballer of the Year award in the same year.
