England

Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor: Professional Footballers Are Motivated By Money

The Gunners striker says if he was not concerned about his pay-packet, he would have stayed in his native Togo...

May 13, 2009 1:38:13 PM

EPL: Emmanuel Adebayor, Blackburn Rovers - Arsenal (PA)

Photo Gallery

Zoom

EPL: Emmanuel Adebayor, Blackburn Rovers - Arsenal (PA)

Teams

Players

Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor

Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor has risked upsetting the Arsenal fans once more by suggesting that professional football players are motivated by money.

The Togo international was booed by sections of the Gunners' faithful in the early stages of this season after reports claimed that he wanted to move to either Barcelona or AC Milan last summer.

The 6ft striker has intimated that he would still be in Africa now had the huge wages on offer not lured him to Europe.

"It is not true, it is about money," Adebayor is quoted as telling BBC Africa Sports editor Farayi Mungazi when asked whether it is true when footballers say that playing for a certain club is not about the wages.

"You are talking about in life and it is about money," the 25-year-old continued.

"When we are young, of course we played because we loved the game, we play because we were passionate about the game.

"But now as soon as you reach a stage where you are professional and playing Champions League, after all those things we are talking about money.

"If it is not because of money, what am I going to be playing for Arsenal for? If it is not because of money I don't think I would go to Arsenal to play. I would stay in my country, I would stay in Lome where everyone loves me.

"If it's not because of money, I would not have come to Europe."

Ricky Brooks, Goal.com