If ever anyone disbelieved that circumstances create heroes, then they should do a case study on Emmanuel Adebayor.

At the start of the season, most Arsenal fans would have assumed that Robin van Persie would be the main striker for the Gunners. And given the way he started the season and performed up to the time he was injured, he seemed irreplaceable. And with Eduardo’s international scoring record, it seemed a matter of time before the Brazilian-born Croat would fit into the Arsenal starting XI beside the Dutchman.

Coupled with that, the looming Africa Cup of  Nations during such a crucial period of the season, cast an ominous shadow over Adebayor’s contribution to the Arsenal cause. Back in August, despite starting and starring in several games, Adebayor seemed destined to play a cameo role in this Arsenal campaign behind the presence of Van Persie, new-boy Eduardo and the expected development of Theo Walcott.

'Coupled with his other already stunning attributes, no other striker has demonstrated an adaptive ability to rival that of Adebayor'


Then misfortune sidelined the seven-goals-in-10-games Dutchman during an innocuous Euro 2008 qualifier against Slovenia. Eduardo struggled to find his feet in the English game and Walcott consistently fluffed the opportunities offered to him to claim a starting place. Better still, from out of nowhere, Fredi Kanoute spurred Mali on to an improbable away win against Togo, thus ensuring his country’s progress to the Africa Cup finals and leaving Adebayor at home.
If ever circumstances have conspired to pave the way for the unveiling of the next best striker in the world, this was it. And Adebayor must surely be considered the best in the world right now. There is no better striker today with a similar combination of speed, strength, guile and domination. Over and above that is his growing influence on his team that has eclipsed the brilliant midfield triumverate of Cesc Fabregas, Aleksandr Hleb and Mathieu  Flamini - and even his captain, William Gallas.

What’s more, his ascension in the footballing ranks came on the back of his playing in a variety of formations beside a myriad of at least four different striking partners from Van Persie to Theo Walcott to Hleb to Nicklas Bendtner. It seemed his role would differ from game to game as Arsene Wenger kept adapting his attack behind the increasingly commanding Togolese striker. Coupled with his other already stunning attributes, no other striker has demonstrated an adaptive ability to rival that of Adebayor.

Yet when he was first introduced to the fans in January 2006 alongside Abou Diaby and Walcott, he didn’t look the part. I confess to liking the look of Diaby more. Adebayor, I felt, didn’t have the look of a good striker. He was far too fanciful, far too playful and far too likable to fit into my belief of what a striker ought to be. And his dancing with Thierry Henry just cemented my belief that this man was more a clown than a footballer. And if I felt that way, wouldn’t most battle-hardened defenders feel the same?

I fall into the same category as Sir Alex Ferguson in believing that players must not only have the skill but the presence and intimidation factor to dominate and intimidate opponents. I took a look at the cover of the February 2007 edition of the Arsenal Magazine and was unimpressed by Adebayor. Here was a man more interested in style than in substance, I thought. Here was a man that epitomised everything that was wrong with the philosophy of Arsenal last season, where they practised the beautiful arts but without producing an end product.

Fast forward to November 2007 where Adebayor once again adorned the cover of the same magazine. This time, in a black and white pose with a grimace on his face; his eyes stared back at you in a manner that took me aback. Maybe it was a trick of the photography, but gone was the fanciful image of the man at the start of the year. He was replaced by this all-business-hard-as-nails lion of a man. Every sinew of his features screamed out a determination that this season was his to take. And he would take it. Eat it. And spit it back out at you.

And so he proved the image in the recent game against Manchester City. Deliberately tripped on the half-way line, he picked himself up to score the third Arsenal goal and hammer the nail deep into the spirit of a resurgent City side. No fuss. No nonsense. No dance. Revenge for that deliberate infringement was a dish served up ice cold. And the way he stared out at the fans after his strike as if to say “TAKE THAT AND EAT IT! THIS SEASON BELONGS TO ME!”

Sir Alex would have appreciated the sentiment. He encouraged it from the likes of Eric Cantona to Roy Keane to Ronaldo. All of them are winners. All of them, at their time, can be called the best in the world.

To that add the name Emmanuel Adebayor.

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