Former Togo striker, Emmanuel Adebayor, has described the Africa Cup of Nations as an experience that goes far beyond football, stressing that the tournament has evolved into a powerful expression of African identity.
Adebayor, who featured at AFCON during his playing career, reflected on how the competition felt in earlier years, noting that while it was less refined then, the passion was just as intense.
“It’s very different now, in the sense that many things have changed,” Adebayor told CAFonline.
The former Arsenal forward recalled the modest nature of past tournaments, particularly in terms of presentation and appearance.
“When we went to AFCON, we wore tracksuits—sometimes a suit, only once if I remember correctly.”
According to Adebayor, the modern AFCON has embraced style, creativity and pride, turning the tournament into a celebration of African culture.
“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.”
He added that AFCON has always been charged with deep emotion, especially in the moments leading up to matches, when teams bonded through shared rituals.
“We would arrive at the stadium singing, glorifying God, singing gospel—just to motivate ourselves. That’s how we grew up,” added Adebayor.
