Former Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor has said the Africa Cup of Nations is a different competition, insisting that it has grown to be far more than a series of football matches.
Adebayor played at the AFCON during his active days.
The former Arsenal star recalls a time when the tournament felt more raw, less polished, yet no less passionate.
“It’s very different now, in the sense that many things have changed,” Adebayor told CAFonline.
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“When we went to AFCON, we wore tracksuits—sometimes a suit, only once if I remember correctly.”
“Now it’s beautiful. It’s art. It’s our culture.
“We play different, we dress different, we talk different.At the end of the day, we must remember that we are Africans. We have our values. We have our cultures.”
AFCON has always been a stage of emotions. Adebayor recalls the pre-match rituals: the songs, the prayers.
“We would arrive at the stadium singing, glorifying God, singing gospel—just to motivate ourselves. That’s how we grew up,” added Adebayor.
