Former Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor has disclosed how he helped persuade Marvin Senaya to commit his international future to Ghana instead of representing Togo.
The former Arsenal striker revealed that he had a conversation with the young defender before Senaya made his decision, urging him to take advantage of the opportunity to represent Ghana at the FIFA World Cup.
Speaking on TV3’s Sports Station on Monday, Adebayor described himself as a close friend and “great godfather” to Senaya, explaining that the defender has a strong relationship with one of his close associates whom he considers a son.
“I was the one that made the decision for him actually, because he’s very close to one of my boys that obviously I call him my son today,” Adebayor said.
Senaya was eligible to play for both Ghana and Togo but eventually opted to join the Black Stars. Adebayor said his own experience of appearing at only one World Cup influenced the advice he gave the youngster.
The former Premier League forward told Senaya that the opportunity to play at a World Cup should not be taken for granted, particularly because Ghana had already secured qualification for the tournament.
“Even though we can talk about career, we can talk about everything that I have done or achieved in football, I have a chance to play only once in the World Cup. So I told him this is the only chance you have,” he explained.
Adebayor also pointed out that Senaya would not have to go through the pressure of World Cup qualification, as Ghana had already booked their place at the tournament.
“It’s not like you are going to play the qualifiers, the country has already qualified, so I think you don’t have a choice, you have to go, because this can be your major tournament in your lifetime,” he added.
Senaya eventually followed the advice and made his Ghana debut against Austria.
Although the Black Stars suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat in the friendly, the young defender produced an encouraging individual performance and emerged as one of Ghana’s brighter players on the day.
Adebayor’s revelation sheds light on the personal influence behind Senaya’s decision to begin his international career with Ghana.