Euro 2024

Ex-Arsenal striker names England player 'anyone' would want as teammate

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 02 July 2024

Lilywhites love: Ex-Tottenham man says 'anyone' would want England hero as teammate

Former Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor claims that "any footballer" would love to have England's Kyle Walker as their teammate.

Former Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor has named one England stalwart that "any footballer" would want as their teammate.

The Three Lions may be in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, where they will take on Switzerland on Friday evening, but their performances in Germany have been uninspiring to say the least.

Gareth Southgate's men only just scraped a 1-0 win over Serbia in their opening game before being held to 1-1 and 0-0 draws by Denmark and Slovenia, although they still topped Group C with five points to their name.

Finishing first saw England enter the ostensibly easier side of the knockout draw and earn a last-16 date with Slovakia - who finished third in Group E - but they were on the verge of an embarrassing exit when Ivan Schranz netted his third goal of the tournament in the first half.

However, with seconds of normal time remaining, Jude Bellingham saved England's bacon with a sensational overhead kick, before Harry Kane completed a breathtaking Three Lions turnaround 54 seconds into extra time.

Bellingham's acrobatic effort stemmed from a long throw from Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker, who had previously endured a difficult outing before his delivery was flicked on by Marc Guehi for the Real Madrid man to volley home.

Emmanuel Adebayor during his Tottenham Hotspur days in 2015 © Reuters

Adebayor talks up Walker "self-giving" and comments on Kane display

The former Tottenham man had struggled to contain Lukas Haraslin in the opening exchanges, but Adebayor - who was briefly Walker's teammate in North London - believes that anyone would be lucky to play alongside him.

"For Walker, always true to himself in his outpouring of energy, his self-giving, any footballer would love to have him as a teammate," the ex-Togo man said in an interview with Afrik Foot.

Adebayor spent four seasons at Tottenham from 2011-12 to 2014-15, the latter of which saw Kane enjoy his breakthrough season at White Hart Lane, but the England captain is another who has not been at his best at the Euros so far.

However, Adebayor insisted that the Bayern Munich man's critical header is all that should be remembered of his performance, adding: "Kane had a difficult match, especially in the first half.

"He dropped off a lot in the first 45 minutes, I think the coach must have told him to stay higher in the second half. Kane remains a striker, when you manage to score like that in a tight match and qualify your team for the quarter-finals, that's all we're going to remember."

Adebayor also heaped praise on England as a whole following their nervy win over Slovakia, which saw the Three Lions reach their fourth successive major tournament quarter-final under Southgate.