I played for both Arsenal and Tottenham - this is the club where I was happiest

Only a select few players have represented both Arsenal and Tottenham in the Premier League

Former Arsenal and Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor has revealed he was at his happiest while playing for the Gunners. That's despite the fact he turned himself into a vilified figure at the Emirates Stadium after trading allegiances for their biggest rivals.

Only a handful of players have turned out on both sides of the north London derby, which will be revived on Sunday. Along with Adebayor, Sol Campbell and William Gallas are the other two men's players to have made significant contributions for both teams.

And despite his 'Judas' reputation with many Arsenal fans, Adebayor still looks back upon his time under Arsene Wenger as the highlight of his Premier League tenure. During a recent interview with discovery+, the Togolese talent, who also played for Manchester City and Crystal Palace, named Arsenal as the club where he was at his most content.

"Obviously, with Arsenal," said the Premier League icon when asked which English outfit made him the happiest. "That’s where I scored a lot of goals and was challenging for the Golden Boot.

"I would say I was happy both on and off the pitch because, remember, we were in London, we have a lot of community from Nigeria, my parents are from Nigeria, so I found family here from Nigeria."

Adebayor, 41, first arrived on English shores in January 2006 when Wenger recruited him from Monaco for a measly £3million. That figure was proved to be a bargain after he became Arsenal's most potent finisher across the next three-and-a-half years, netting 62 in 142 appearances before joining Premier League rivals City for a reported £25m.

However, the traitor narrative wasn't fulfilled until he scored against his former employers early on in the 2009/10 season. He infamously ran the length of the field at the Etihad Stadium to celebrate in front of his old fans, though Adebayor later apologised for the antagonistic act.

"What happened two years ago was an accident and I do apologise to all the fans of Arsenal. Sometime the emotions, we cannot control them, we are all human beings," he told talkSPORT in 2011. "I regret what I have done and I say sorry to everyone but at the end of the day sorry doesn't change anything. For me it's over.

"I'm looking forward to playing against Arsenal again on Sunday but believe me, if I have a chance to score, trust me I will score but as for the celebration, never in my life will I do something like that again.

"It will be a funny game [on Sunday], it'll be fantastic. I have a chance to play against Arsenal again, the club that gave me the chance to be where I am today. I have a huge respect for the club."

Yet his villain arc still hadn't fully crystallised. To make matters worse, he later joined Spurs in 2011, initially on loan from Real Madrid, and enjoyed another largely successful stint in north London.

Again, Adebayor made an early impact in the derby when he assisted Rafael van der Vaart during a 2-1 win over Arsenal in October 2011. And 13 months later, he scored against the Gunners before being sent off seven minutes later for a rash challenge on Arsenal fan favourite Santi Cazorla.

Both Campbell and Gallas were vilified by opposing sides of the north London derby for joining their biggest rivals directly. However, Adebayor's consistent habit of winding up the Arsenal faithful make him arguably the most contentious figure to have stood on both sides of the divide.