The Togo international had been excluded from the Monaco team for repeatedly missing training and he had a difficult relationship with Monaco coach Francesco Guidolin.
Adebayor had burst onto the scene in France in 2001/02 with FC Metz, but he really impressed the following term when scoring 13 goals. It was that form, when still aged 17, which attracted the interest of Monaco.
But 21 goals and two-and-a-half seasons later Adebayor was on his way out of Ligue 1 bound for the Premiership.
Adebayor was also part of the Monaco side which reached the final of the Champions League in 2003/04, the same season he was named Togolese Footballer of the Year.
The striker fired Togo to the World Cup finals for the first ever time in 2006, bagging 11 goals in qualifying making him the leading scorer in Africa.
However, his troubles at Monaco spilled into the international arena shortly after he signed for Arsenal. He linked up with Togo for the African Nations Cup but was left out of the starting line-up for the opener against the Democratic Republic of Congo after a fall-out with coach Stephen Keshi.
Rows over bonus payments have blighted his international career, but Adebayor remains the best player to come out of Togo.
Though he appeared very raw at times in his early appearances there was enough to suggest he would become an asset for the north London club and his first season was relatively successful.
However, taking over the striking mantle of Thierry Henry, his second season exploded the Togo star onto the world stage. Named in the PFA Team of the Year, Adebayor netted 30 goals in the Premier League, but a summer of transfer talk appeared to unsettle him.
Despite signing a long term contract with the club in May 2007, Adebayor's head was turned by interest from AC Milan and Barcelona - although manager Arsene Wenger insisted that the player would not be sold.
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