Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor denies he only finds form when his contract is winding down.
There's a perception Adebayor doesn't start firing on all cylinders until his contract is inside it's final year.
But he told the Daily Express: "Tell me, has [Wayne] Rooney, one of the top strikers in the league - the best in English football - has Rooney always scored 20 goals a season? No. I don't know why people keep saying, 'Ade's always playing for a contract'. I never played for a contract. I always have a four- or five-year contract wherever I go to.
"I had just signed a big contract when I left Arsenal. I left Monaco after I had just signed a big contract.
"So I played for Arsenal for three years. So are you going to tell me that for three years I was looking for a contract all those three years? No. I had just signed a contract and the manager said to me, 'Adebayor, I don't need you any more. You have to move on.'
"When I left Manchester City, I still had four years' contract left. So what am I looking for? Am I looking for even more contract?
"So when I came to Tottenham, the first year was on loan when everything went very well with Harry Redknapp. I came back, I signed, we got this new manager AVB, things are not going so well. Everybody said, 'He's signed his contract, he became lazy'.
"My friend. If I sign a contract today that says I am worth £1m, tomorrow I want to be worth £2m. If they give me £2m, I want £10m. That is what football is about.
"Because we are stopping the season, now people are saying in the last games I am going to play for a contract. I don't play for a contract. I play because I love the game. I am passionate about the game.
"In Africa, when I was younger, what was I playing for? I remember playing for bananas. I remember playing for water. I don't play for a contract. I love the game.
"People always say what they want to say because they are jealous of what we earn. Don't get me wrong, they are working harder than me but they were not lucky enough to be in my seat. I was lucky."
