“Win for me” – Ex-Arsenal and Real Madrid star charges Super Eagles to beat Tunisia

Two former continental champions will lock horns later today in Garoua in a tasty round of 16 clash at the ongoing championship, and an ex-Gunner is rooting for a Nigerian win

Former Arsenal and Real Madrid striker Emmanuel Adebayor has urged the Super Eagles to defeat Tunisia when the two teams meet today at the Africa Cup of Nations as nothing short of a Nigerian victory would please him.

Born in Lome, Adebayor played international football for Togo, finishing as the country’s all-time highest goalscorer.

But the 2008 African Footballer of the Year, who holds Nwankwo Kanu as his football idol, has never hidden his love for Nigeria, the country of origin of his parents.

With Togo not present at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, Adebayor has thrown his support for Nigeria to lift a fourth Afcon title.

After successfully navigating the group stages where they recorded three straight wins, the Super Eagles next face Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles for a quarterfinal ticket.

And in a light-hearted chat with award-winning journalist Mimi Fawaz, Adebayor charged the West Africans to soar past their opponents and make him proud.

The 37-year-old said: “Originally, my parents are from Nigeria. I am Nigerian. So you guys (Super Eagles) have to win for me. If you don’t want to win for you, that’s your problem but win for me.”

Sunday’s matchup between Nigeria and Tunisia is the sixth time the two nations will be meeting at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Remarkably, four of the previous five matches have been played in the knock-out stages of the competition.

Nigeria, though, have the edge over the North African, with the Super Eagles unbeaten in all five, winning three and drawing two (excluding shoot-outs).