4) Emmanuel Adebayor: For Manchester City vs Arsenal
When Arsenal were in the doldrums following their move to the Emirates Stadium, one of their biggest assets was a physical and powerful striker in Emmanuel Adebayor. The 2007/08 season saw the Togolese player score 30 goals across all competitions.
But his temperament and work ethic has always been questionable and, ultimately, so was his loyalty. When Manchester City entered the fray with mammoth bids to sign some of the Premier League’s best talents and the lure of high wages, he turned his back on the north London club and moved to the blue half of Manchester as Arsenal accepted a £25m bid.
When the Gunners visited City early that season, it was anything but a happy reunion. Van Persie was kicked in the face by Adebayor (a deliberate act that saw him receive a three-game ban for violent conduct) while Alex Song and Cesc Fabregas also accused him of various misdeeds during the game.
But it was the goal that saw all hell break loose.
An unmarked Adebayor scored with a resounding header and he celebrated the goal by running the full length of the pitch before sliding in front of the Arsenal fans in the away section. He would later justify his celebration because of the abuse he had received from the Arsenal fans following his transfer.
“I scored and wanted to show people it is not a good idea to abuse me. I really didn't understand it at all. I was running on pure emotion and when you take emotion out of football we are going to have a big problem.” – Adebayor
