Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor is Togo's best known footballing export and has lived up to his billing as his country's main weapon for the World Cup.
The gangly 22-year-old became the top scorer in the African qualifying competition with 10 goals that carried Togo through to an unlikely place in the finals.
His achievement, though, has been overshadowed by his public spat with coach Stephen Keshi after he was left out of the starting line-up for Togo's first game at the African Nations Cup in January.
Adebayor was called a "cry baby" by his coach and was publicly criticised by team mates for his sullen attitude during the tournament.
Helped by his frame of 1.90 metres, Adebayor has stood out since first being spotted playing in a summer tournament in Sweden at the age of 15.
He was signed by French club FC Metz and within three years was playing first-team football.
By then, Adebayor had won his first international cap in a World Cup qualifier against Zambia in 2000, almost a full year before his league debut.
Adebayor rose to prominence in France with 13 goals in a season in Ligue 2 which catapulted Metz back up to the top flight, after they had been relegated in 2002.
He played for Togo at the 2002 African Nations Cup in Mali but had only scored one goal for his country before the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Monaco signed him from Metz in 2003 and the Togolese played a bit part as the club reached the UEFA Champions League final against Porto in Gelsenkirchen two years ago.
Adebayor, whose parents hail from Nigeria and who speaks fluent English and French, looked set to sign for Olympique Marseille in December before Arsenal swooped to take him to Highbury.
