3 consecutive Premier League titles. Two La Liga. champions league. Africa Cup of Nations. Over 100 international caps. Four-time African Player of the Year award.
Yaya Toure has had a proud football career, but his career culminated when he played for seven clubs in seven countries over 19 years and helped create a new Premier League dynasty in Manchester. I can’t even justify it. .
It’s been two years since Toure ended his illustrious playing career, but the scale of his game’s achievements, which have earned him international recognition from Ivory Coast, still haunts him. I can’t.
“My face can tell you. I’ll be happy. I’ll be amazed,” Toure said EXCLUSIVELY. sky sports When asked what he had accomplished in his career as a 10-year-old, he said: “I was at my best in Barcelona under Messi, playing against Cristiano Ronaldo, and with all these things I’m in a good place.” did.
“In the end, I would say it’s been a stellar career, both individually and collectively, full of successes and trophies. I couldn’t have asked for more.”
“When a player retires from football some people think he should continue, but I was relieved and happy. My career path has been incredible. The path has been impressive and hard work. , full of dedication and sacrifice.It was really fun.”
Yaya Toure and brother Kolo Toure pose for a photo before a friendly match between Belgian club Beveren and Arsenal in 2002.
Toure rose to prominence by joining the ranks of ASEC Mimosas, a club with a rich history based in Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast, but it was in him that his love of football really began. Bouake was the birthplace of
“I fell in love with football in Bouake when I was young,” he explained. “My brother, he loved football and used to play for a team on the street near the community. Then my other brother Koro started playing and I followed in his footsteps.
“When I was in Ivory Coast, unfortunately we had no choice. [to play football] Because I was one of nine children. There were so many boys at the time, seven boys, that I started to be devoted. Because for me the ball was my breathing time. “
Belgian club Beveren were the first Europeans to notice Toure’s talent and signed him in 2001 at the age of 18. He then moved to Ukraine’s Metalurf He Donetsk, Greece’s Olympiacos and France’s Monaco, bringing his precocious talent across the continent.
And it was during this formative period that the midfielder realized that he was in the right environment to realize his football dreams, and that adaptation was necessary to achieve his goals.
“At first it was hard because of the culture, the food, the acclimatization.
“When I was there, I realized that Europe was the place to fulfill my dreams, playing with the best players, winning important trophies and being around the best players. After arriving at , my head clicked and I knew I had to adapt.
Yaya Toure was part of the Barcelona team that defeated Man United in the 2009 Champions League final in Rome.
Toure furthered his reputation by spending three trophy-laden seasons in Catalonia under Pep Guardiola.
After winning seven major accolades in the 2008/09 season, including a La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble, Toure set out to take on new challenges and pursue legendary status at Manchester City.
“I wanted to be something unique,” Toure recalls. “I wanted to be a legend. That was the plan. Go to the club, make a big impact and maybe one day be a legend.”
The word ‘legend’ is thrown around too often in football, but in the case of Toure, who has won more than 300 games in eight seasons at the Etihad Stadium and won all national honours, it is arguably not enough. do not have.
His winning goals against Manchester United and Stoke in the 2011 FA Cup semi-final and final ended Manchester City’s 34-year trophy wait, changed the course of the club’s history and laid the foundation for the success he had enjoyed. built. It continues to this day.
Yaya Toure runs off after deciding the winner for Man City in the 2011 FA Cup Final at Wembley.
“The goal against United was a really important derby, but when we won the trophy it made a big difference because after that everything changed.”
“If you remember what happened after that, the next couple of years the players came in with ease, like when they joined Barcelona. They knew something was going on there, something changed. Knowing what he was doing, the fans and players began to believe.
Toure, who has given so much on the pitch, is ready to give back. After coaching at Olympic Donetsk in Ukraine and Akhmat Grozny in Russia, he took on a coaching role at Tottenham’s academy, where he manages the U16s.
“As a coach, I am really proud to work for Spurs because they are giving way to coaches in Africa and Asia. It’s great, and I respect that and completely appreciate it,” Toure said. He said.
“When I was a footballer, I could play with Asians, Europeans, Eastern Europeans, South Americans because in football you see diversity when it comes to players. If this diversity can happen to coaches, it’s because football is for everyone and everyone has to be involved.”
Celebrate the African Heroes of the Premier League during Black History Month and on the Sky Sports and Sky Sports Football YouTube channels.
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