Man City were insulting and banned me from training – I didn’t want to be there
Manchester City face Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday and one former star who played for both clubs previously reflected on how his time at City came to an end
A former Manchester City star hit out at the club after falling out of favour(Image: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Emmanuel Adebayor accused Manchester City of freezing him out of the squad upon returning from his loan spell at Real Madrid in 2011. The two clubs are set to meet in the return leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
The Togo international had written his name into City folklore shortly after joining from Arsenal. He infamously ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the opposition fans after scoring against the Gunners in 2009. However, Adebayor would only spend one-and-a-half seasons at the club.
He scored 14 goals in 31 games in the 2009/10 campaign but soon fell out of favour with City boss Roberto Mancini the following year. The striker was allowed to join Real Madrid on loan in January 2011 but was forced to return to his parent club that summer after a permanent move to Los Blancos failed to materialise.
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It became clear that Adebayor was not part of Mancini’s plans but the striker was vocal about the club’s lack of communication. Adebayor claimed to have been told he was not part of City’s pre-season tour of the USA by the football director’s secretary, rather than Mancini or another senior club official.
“This is very hurtful and insulting and says a lot about Manchester City,” Adebayor told The Sun. “On the one hand they want to become the biggest, most successful club in the world, yet the people who run the club are not acting in that way at all.
“No one at City is man enough to speak to me face-to-face to explain. I just received an email from Brian Marwood’s secretary telling me to report for training on July 9.
“But when I spoke to the other players, I found out the first team was leaving for the pre-season tour of the US on July 8. So it’s clear they don’t want me here but no one even called.
“Brian Marwood just got his secretary to send me an email. And I heard this was the same with at least six other players.”
Adebayor’s teammate Craig Bellamy was also critical of City during the same summer transfer window. Meanwhile, Mancini had previously addressed Adebayor’s future after the City loanee scored twice for Real Madrid in a Champions League quarter-final.
“I am happy for him that he is scoring goals and I hope he can continue to score,” the City manager said in April 2011. “At the end of the season we will see. If he wants to stay, he can. I am happy for Manu because he is a good player.”
Despite appearing to leave the door open, Adebayor, who scored eight in 22 games during his time in Madrid, did not rejoin Mancini’s team. Instead, he signed for Tottenham Hotspur on a season-long loan.
The striker proved to be prolific under Harry Redknapp, netting 18 goals in all competitions, and later sealed a £5million move to Spurs in 2012. Adebayor’s last appearance for City had come more than 18 months before his permanent exit.
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Manchester City have reached the UEFA Champions League round of 16 where they face Real Madrid on March 17. Fans can watch the game for free with an Amazon Prime subscription or 30-day trial.