'I think he's coming to me!' - Richards on Adebayor celebration

Emmanuel Adebayor celebrates scoring for Manchester City against ArsenalImage source, Getty Images
  • Published

The latest episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily revisits a programme first broadcast in December, looking at the dark arts and "housery" in football.

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards recalled the biggest instance he could remember from his playing career - Emmanuel Adebayor's goal celebration after scoring for City against his former club Arsenal in 2009.

"Before the game, Adebayor is cool and calm, but you know he's up for it when he starts running about," said Richards.

"He was the fittest man in training, in pre-season he would always finish first, but in a game he just looked a bit lethargic. But in that game, he was on it from the first minute.

"We were all thinking 'what's going to happen if Adebayor scores?'.

"He's scored at one end and the Arsenal fans are at the opposite end. He's curved his run and I think he's coming to me! I've tried to give him a hug, he just brushes me aside and, in front of the Arsenal fans, on his knees does the biggest slide ever. The Arsenal fans were going absolutely berserk.

"He was galloping up and down, I'm thinking 'where's he running?' Then it clicks that he's running to the Arsenal fans, and you follow him for a little bit but then you're thinking 'I don't want none of this!'"

Related topics