Emmanuel Adebayor Arrives Nigeria

Manchester City Striker, Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor, arrived Nigeria on Tuesday to help develop BRF Youth Football Academy.

The Togolese player was well received at the murtala Muhammed International Airport where teeming soccer fans was at the airport to welcome him to Nigeria his fatherland.

Adebayor, spoke with sportweight.blogspot.com.Here are the excerpts:

Kanu Nwankwo is my role model and he is the one the inspired me to play football today. Its always good ti have people wh are always behind you and supporting you, who you know that they help your dream come true.

And today, what i can my brother today is that you all know that to become a footballer is not easy, we all know that to become a man is not easy but we behave and listen to our elders.Its true today that what mother or father or manager is telling me is not true but trust whatever they say today is true because tomorrow you are the one who gets the name.You are the one who gets the responsibility on yourself to love after your family and country.

Today, i became the captain of my country for three to four years now but i can assure you its not easy to do but believe me that you can do it and people around are ready to help tat is why probably i told myself why not ot be part of theat family because i know what the Execellency the Governor has been doing for this state and i know the nickname, Eko O Oni Baje.

Am very proud to be part of the BRF today.I would be in contact with the Governor, contact with all the family and we take it from there to see how to help your brothers because tomorrow may be in two - three years.I think Kanu Nwankwo is having his last FIFA World Cup may be two o three years he would be over and at the end of te day, we want our brothers to take over and i cannot promise anything becuse i don't like talking into the air.

What i can say today is that we would be working hard to see hwo we can change Eko for better and secondly how we work with the family to see we can find,.Today have gotten a name which is true and am very happy for that.I never forget my background because at the end of the day, what is important is what we can do tomorrow and waht w have already tday is good for ourselves.Then which may can we help our brothers to rememeber is one day.

Yes,i will talk with the family to see in which way e can find a contact with the clubs, i have got a lot of clubs in Europe, i know a lot of managers to see Two to Ten players in a year for trials. I cannot assure if the players are good but they are in good hands.

Yeah, we are all here to help and that is the reason am here.

As the Godfather said, am an African, my pareants are from Nigeria, am a pure Yoruba, Omo Yoruba ni mi, Omo Yoruba gangan ni mi bobo.

My parents are from Nigeria, i was born in Togo and stayed in Ghana for a while, so part of, so , i cannot claim Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, am from West Africa.

DO WISH TO JOIN NIGERIAN TEAM:

We coming back to Nigeria, am already here.Am here to see in whcih way we can help Nigeria and Lagos.Am here to see which way we can help people, we can help further education, because am a footballer, so you can see am tall, which way we can help th epeople to become great footballers.

I think if I have to come back to the national team (Hawks of Togo). I have a chance to talk with my colleagues. I started my football career very early, I started at sixteen years like nine years have been playing for Togo, four years have been d captain and today i just give up. Things have been happening a lot. I just decided to put a stop on it which is a big decision to make bcos where are all Africans and I will always love Africa and I cannot go into details today.

You know where u are in a country where people are not understanding your ideas is always difficult. Anyway, I will keep thinking about it.

DO YOU BELIEVE SUPER EAGLES COULD MAKE IMPACT AT THE WORLD CUP IN SOUTH AFRICA:

I wish d Super Eagles best of luck and I have a chance to play against Nigeria players I know all of dem, Obafemi Martins, Kanu, Mikel Obi. They are all gud players and I think that in Africa, our problem is organisation and an being honest things are bit better.

As soon as the federal government would be readyt to help their team, behind their teams one hundred per cent I think that's what Nigeria people are doing and they have been in Europe, they are bigi players, they know how to play big game. I wish them the best of luck especially when d World Cup is being staged on African soil. I will be fevere to support them and Ghana.

The Managrs have to be gud, becos have change and worked with nine to twelve managers already. As soon as you get a manager who does not know how to talk players, is going to be difficult and we have to leave with our manager.

As you see yourself, there can be on Messi in the whole world. And there is only one Messi from Argentina, We got the talents, I think what the government is doing know is to help all these kids to become tomorrow's Messi, George Weah, Abedi Pele. The talents are in African.

Anytime am on holiday, in Accra, Ghana, I saw a twelve years and asked where did he gets his talents from.

Now am talking with Abedi Pele, how we can help the kids to go to Monaco, Lens in France for football academics.
African players forgot their background once they have being known world wide because they believe they are stars already.No, o make a name is not easy.They have to understand because every day, people judge you, where i am now people judge me, everyday tomorrow you play and don't score people will judge, tomorrow you play and score people will shout your name.

The players are to listen to their parents, Managers, educators and only that way they can succeed only that way.

WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON AFRICA COACHES.

African Coaches are very good because we are all dedicated in Africa and they are born in Africa but the problems is that our Managers from Africa do not know how to talk to players.

As soon you become professional, our African Coaches, cannot said they are afraid but have that respect for us because we play in Europe. I do tell my colleagues that its not because you are playing in Europe, then you must misbehave in camp. Today, as your country call you to come and play for them, you are to represent maybe one week or one month.

African Coaches have to believe in themselves and sometimes, its always good for the Coaches to ask their players which way can we progress and I think all the players would be ready to help their Coaches because most our Coaches are like our father.

African Coaches have to be an opened Managers to ask players what they are gained playing in Europe and what they could impact on the team.

DO YOU INTEND TO LEAVE MANCHESTER CITY:

Am happy playing for Man City because at the end of the day, we are talking about football. Am in a good team, people love me there, am one of their favourite players. Today, is true that am talking with a lot of clubs, you know am still negotiating and see where that will end. At the moent all my concentration because i got 5 years with Man City. Am focus where i am now in Man City.

DOES THE AFRICAN TEAM HAVE CHANCE TO THE WORLD CUP:

We have Sulley Muntari winning the Champions League. We have a lot of quality African players. We got a lot of quality and good players.

The player who was in ghana for a couple of weeks said the Ghanian side are in good frame of mind in readiness for the event so also other African countries that had qualified for the event.

WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE TIMING OF AFRICAN NATIONS CUP:

That programme was made before i was born. to be honest, i cannot jump into that issue because African players like George Weah, Abedi Pele had fought for that and we would love to fight for it because we all love to play African Cup of Nations in May/June because the season would have been over.

Becuase its only bad as a player, you are top form scoring 20 goals and you now go back to play for your country, and when we come back, you just learn that somebody took your place and somebody scoring more goals than you do. Its so difficult for such player and have been fighting this course for four months.

Nigerian should be positive about Nigeria chances of making impact at the World Cup.

Bad comment could affect the players morale since they have family back at home.

WHY DID YOU LEAVE ARSENAL F.C:

I went on holiday in 2009 after the first training, i went to meet Arsene Wenger in his office and he told me into my face that they would not be ready to take my any because am one of the highest paid in the club and you know from Africa, trust me, its always very difficult to be the highest and not doing well. I could not do anything to change his mind. I said fine, so i asked him what's going to happen next because am ready to stay and he told even if i stay, that would not change anything.

Trust me am a footballer, one thing i want to do today is to be on a football pitch to play. I cannot see myself at my age seating on the bench for years especially when you know you can play, when you know you can be the surprise of that team.