Yaya Toure (2001 to 2020)

Yaya Toure
Yaya Toure

Cote d’Ivoire (101 Caps, 19 Goals)
Beveren, Metalurh Donetsk, Olympiacos, Monaco, Barcelona, Manchester City, Olympiacos, Qingdao Huanghai
Top Attribute- composure

John Rogers
John Rogers

published 05:29, 10 October 2022

Yaya Toure was already a top-class international quality midfielder when he signed for Manchester City from Barcelona for £24 million in the summer of 2010. At the Etihad, he stepped up a gear to become a genuinely world-class midfielder, cementing his place as one of the finest playmaking midfielders of all time.

All-Action, All The Time

Toure began life as a striker before dropping deeper, initially as a deep-lying holding midfielder in the mould of Claude Makelele. However, in later years, particularly at Manchester City, he became a box-to-box midfielder, equally comfortable performing defensive or attacking roles. Indeed, he became so proficient in the final third that he was sometimes deployed as a “number 10” at the Etihad to significant effect.

Technically outstanding, Toure often wrong-footed goalkeepers with his technique of striking the ball with the instep of his foot, close to the heel, sending the ball on a straight trajectory that often wrong-footed goalkeepers. 

Toure was mistaken mainly as a “destroyer” in midfield during his early days before his move to Barcelona in 2007. At the Nou Camp, his more creative elements were allowed to flourish, and he linked up to significant effect with Xavi and Andres Iniesta before Sergio Busquests took his place a couple of years later.

Pundits and experts often overlooked Toure’s technical and tactical attributes, favouring his immense athleticism. His ability to surge from box to box, arrive late in the opponent’s penalty area to score crucial goals, and carry the ball through midfield was among the most impressive of the era. 

However, a great deal of skill and subtlety in Toure’s football made him a hugely creative element in the midfield of Barcelona, Manchester City and, notably, at international level with Cote d’Ivoire. He was sadly often overshadowed creatively by the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne at club level.

 

Yet, his impact creatively can be measured by an excellent haul of 32 assists in his time at the Etihad, including a remarkable effect on 2013/14, where he combined twenty league goals with no fewer than 13 assists for his teammates.

Honours

Toure is one of the most decorated footballers of the 21st Century. He won the Greek 1st Division and Greek Cup with Olympiacos before enjoying massive success in Spain with Barcelona.

As well as being part of Barca’s 2009 Champions League success, he won La Liga twice, the Copa del Rey and FIFA Club World Cup.

That success continued at Manchester City, where he won three Premier League titles, the FA Cup in 2011 and the Football League Cup twice.

At international level, Toure was at the forefront of Cote d’Ivoire’s regular success at continental level. He was a two-time runner-up of the African Cup of Nations in 2006 and 2012 before winning the title in 2015.

Toure’s quality was recognised individually with a stream of personal awards. He won the African Footballer of the Year four years running between 2011 and 2014, won the BBC African Footballer of the Year award twice, the PFA Premier League Team of the Year twice and capped his career in 2021 by being named in the all-time Africa Men’s Dream Team by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics in 2021.

Yaya Toure was one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. He was a powerful, destructive, and creative player who could dominate the midfield and typically created chances through his passing and dribbling. He was also known for his ability to score goals, as he was able to make late runs into the box and finish off chances. He was a four-time African Player of the Year, and won numerous major titles, including the Premier League, La Liga, and Champions League.

Yaya Toure stands at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m).

Yaya Toure is from Ivory Coast.

Yaya Toure left Manchester City in the summer of 2018 after eight years with the club. He was released at the end of his contract and was not offered a new deal by the club. Despite being a key figure in the club's success during his time at the club, he stated his desire to move on and seek a new challenge.

Yes, Yaya and Kolo Toure are brothers. They grew up together in Bouake, Ivory Coast and both became professional soccer players. Kolo is the older brother and he began his career in 2002 with Arsenal. Yaya followed in his brother's footsteps in 2005 when he joined ASEC Mimosas. They have both played for some of the most prestigious teams in the world, including Barcelona, Manchester City, and Liverpool. They have also both represented Ivory Coast in international soccer competitions.

No, Yaya Toure never played for Arsenal. He began his professional career with Beveren in Belgium, then moved to Metalurh Donetsk in Ukraine in 2003, then to Olympiacos in Greece in 2005, and then to Monaco in France in 2006. He moved to Barcelona in 2007 and then to Manchester City in 2010.

Yaya Toure scored 79 goals in all competitions for Manchester City.

Premier League: 59 goals FA Cup: 8 goals League Cup: 8 goals UEFA Champions League: 4 goals

201112: 20 goals

201213: 16 goals

201314: 20 goals

201415: 10 goals

201516: 8 goals

201617: 6 goals

201718: 6 goals

201819: 3 goals

Total: 79 goals

Yaya Toure has scored a total of 247 goals in his career. This includes 192 club goals and 55 international goals.

Yaya Toure has won the African Player of the Year award four times, in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Yaya Toure is worth an estimated $90 million(2022).

Yaya Toure is 36 years old (born 13 May 1983).

Yes, Yaya Touré is married to his long-term partner, Gineba Touré, with whom he has two children. They have been together since 2001.

1. Age: Yaya Toure is now 35 years old, which is considered an advanced age for a professional footballer. This has caused his physical attributes to decline, which has in turn impacted his on-field performance.

2. Injury: Toure has suffered from a number of injuries in the past few years, which has hindered his ability to perform at his best.

3. Lack of motivation: Toure has been playing professional football for over a decade now and may be starting to lose some of his motivation. This could explain his recent lack of form.

4. Lack of game time: Toure has been in and out of the starting line-up in recent seasons and may not have been receiving enough game time to get into a rhythm.

These reasons helped Yaya to reach a decision to reite from professional football in May 2021 at the age of 37.

The Yaya Toure Curse is an urban legend that suggests that any team Toure has played for has been doomed to suffer bad luck or worse, relegation. It is said to have started when Toure left Barcelona for Manchester City in 2010. Since then, teams Toure has played for have struggled, with some (such as Olympiacos) being relegated.

Yaya Toure is currently a free agent, having most recently played for Qingdao Huanghai in the Chinese Super League. He has been linked with a move to Major League Soccer in the US.

Yaya Toure is a Muslim.

Yaya Toure was born in Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire.

In 2014, Yaya Toure accused Pep Guardiola of having a problem with African players after the manager left him out of the teams Champions League squad. Guardiola denied the accusation, saying that he made his decisions based on the players performance. Toure eventually returned to the team and had a successful season, but the relationship between the two has never been the same.

 

Darts fans sing "Yaya Toure" as a tribute to the former Manchester City and Ivory Coast footballer Yaya Toure. The chant became popular among City fans during Toure's time at the club, and has since become a staple of the darts and football fan culture.

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