Adebayor touches the heights with Togo

In February 1984 when Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor was born in Lome, Togolese supporters were still lamenting the national team's dismal showing at their first ever CAF African Cup of Nations in Côte d'Ivoire. Drawn in Group A of that tournament, the Scorpions went home early after finishing bottom of the section.

Hailing from the Yorouba ethnic group, his parents had moved to Togo from Nigeria several years before his birth and in the Kodjoviakope and Nyekonakpoe neighbourhoods of Lome, the young Adebayor proceeded to enjoy a happy childhood under the watchful eye of his extended family. Blessed with an abundance of pace, the beanpole boy was soon astounding those around him with his verve and athletic ability. Indeed, it was enough to convince the directors of the Lome Sporting Club football school to add him to their ranks.

By his teens, word of Adebayor's ability had spread as far as the ears of the Togolese national team administrators, who selected him for an international youth tournament in Sweden. It was on Scandinavian soil that his window of opportunity to Europe opened up, as French side FC Metz spotted the young phenomenon and snapped him up for their youth academy. His professional career was about to take off.

Having been uprooted to France during his adolescence, Adebayor suffered from homesickness and the harsh winter climate in particular made him long for the sunny streets of Lome. However, he persevered and was rewarded with his opening chance in the Metz first team at the tender age of 17. Taking to the physical challenge like a duck to water, he finished an incredible debut season in 2002/03 with a tally of 13 goals which made him the second top scorer in Ligue 2. That feat aroused the attentions of heavyweight clubs like Juventus and Arsenal, but in the end, it was Didier Deschamps' Monaco who captured the talented starlet.

Once in the principality, Adebayor was soon picking up tips from such luminaries as Shabani Nonda, Dado Prso, Fernando Morientes, Javier Saviola, Mohamed Kallon and Javier Ernesto Chevanton. He carved out his own niche, however, playing bit-part roles at first before breaking through as a first-team regular. Only a couple of years after being plucked from obscurity, the kid from the backstreets of Lome had hit the big time.

In Togo, his exploits have been closely followed by all and earned him the award for Togolese Footballer of the Year in 2004. From an early stage, many saw him as the successor to the likes of Bachirou Salou and Djima Oyawole in the national team and, by happy coincidence, his own emergence coincided with the dawning of a new era for the national team.

The arrival of the Nigerian Stephen Keshi sparked this fresh start and from very early in Keshi's reign, Adebayor established himself as the leader of this new generation and demonstrated his immense qualities throughout the course of 2006 FIFA World Cup™ qualifying. He sowed panic among many an African defence, chalking up 11 goals to finish as the top scorer in the African Zone - and, just as in 2004, the continent acknowledged his dazzling success by voting him one of the top five African players of 2005.

Of his 11 goals in African Group 1, none were as important as those scored in the home and away qualifiers against Senegal that effectively won the Togolese first place - and secured their debut finals appearance - ahead of their fancied rivals. He opened the scoring in the 3-1 victory over the Senegalese in June 2004 and 12 months later grabbed a crucial 71st-minute equaliser in Dakar to earn Togo a 2-2 draw - and preserve their two-point lead at the head of the section.

Adebayor, a great admirer of the Nigerian Nwanko Kanu, really lives life to the full and is determined to savour every moment of his success. And despite his dreams of helping his country win a first Nations Cup in Egypt in January and then making an impact in Germany, he is maintaining a level head. "I am very happy with my life and have no regrets," he explains. "I like a good laugh and I live from day to day. That's how it's been since the day I was born. It's just the way I am."

The Yorouba prince is simply following his star of destiny. Next summer, it will be shimmering over the football fields of Germany.