Legendary footballer Emmanuel Adebayor has chastised Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher for underestimating the prestige of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
According to him, the remark by the former Liverpool defender not only denigrates the tournament but also undermines the quality of players from the African continent.
The former Togo national team captain fumed about the remark, stating that Carragher was not a world-class defender during his playing days to criticize the AFCON.
“These comments are total disrespect, not only to AFCON but also to all Africans. It’s always the same when AFCON comes around; clubs hesitate to release players, and critics try to downplay its importance. I played against world-class defenders in the Premier League, Carragher is not one of them,” he told AfricaSoccer.com.
What Carragher said about the AFCON
During the post-match analysis of Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Manchester City on February 23, 2025, on Sky Sports, Carragher asserted that although Mohammed Salah, an Egyptian, excels with Liverpool, the lack of a major tournament for his national team could hinder his chances of winning the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
“I think the problem is that he [Salah] is with Egypt, and he’s probably not playing in a major tournament, or maybe doesn’t have a great chance of winning. I think it’s either the Champions League or a major tournament.
“Normally, the player who excels in that, like Vini Jr. and Mbappe right now, Real Madrid looking really good going for the Champions League. Liverpool will be in that conversation, but right now, Los Blancos are certainly the front-runners,” he said.
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