WORLD CUP : PLAYER TO WATCH

Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo)

Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor’s parents had moved to Togo from Nigeria several years earlier. By his teens, word of Adebayor’s ability had spread as far as the ears of the Togolese national team administrators, who selected him for an international youth tournament in Sweden. It was on this Scandinavian sortie, in fact, that his window of opportunity to Europe opened, with French side FC Metz recruiting him for their youth academy. Adebayor was rewarded with a senior debut at the tender age of 17. The attentions of Juventus and Arsenal had been aroused, but in the end it was Monaco who captured the raw, talented starlet in the summer of 2003.

French manager Arsene Wenger — a long-term admirer — swooped in with bid of £7 million that saw Abedayor move to Highbury on 13 January 2006.

Adekanmi Olufade (Togo)

With his 1.70m stature, Adekanmi Olufade is exactly the opposite of towering striker Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor in the Togo squad. His strong physique and speed led to Olufade playing in the 2002 and 2006 African Cup of Nations tournaments. The winger also contributed to Togo’s 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, although he scored only one goal in the process. He played in Belgium and France before moving to Qatar.