Spotlight: Who is Yaya Toure?

As we approach the end of the English Premier League season, FirstTouch takes time to look back and appreciate one of the most influential players in the league. Yaya Toure, an all-round midfielder from Cote d’Ivoire, played for Barcelona and Manchester City in the best years of his career. The 33-year old is approaching the end of his time at the Etihad with his contract set to expire at the end of the 2017/18 season. Let’s look at what Yaya Toure has been through during his stay at the above-mentioned clubs in Europe.   

First off, let’s focus on his time at Barcelona. Yaya Toure joined Barcelona from Monaco in 2007 for £6.7m after being an influential midfielder for the French side where he rescued them from relegation. However, Toure had problems with the previous manager of the club, Laszlo Boloni, who was not playing him in his midfield most preferred position. When he joined Barcelona, he enjoyed the first season under Rijkaard where he made a total of 40 appearances which managed two goals. Yaya Toure was still in the shadow of big brother Kolo who was making a name for himself at Arsenal as a rock solid defender in the EPL. Guardiola took over the reins just a year later, and he preferred Busquets to Yaya Toure as the defensive midfielder for Barcelona in 2008. The promise of first-team football in his preferred position at Barcelona was not going to be possible. Guardiola used the player as a center-back in the UEFA Champions League final in 2009 when the team suffered from injuries. He was later allowed to move to the club of his dream in 2010.

Manchester City approached Toure and he, initially thought that he would be joining Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. It was his agent who clarified that he was joining the team who wears blue and he was excited by the challenge of joining a club that was in the shadow of their local rivals. Manchester City paid £24.6 million for the services of a player who was pretty much a reserve player and Toure was going to be receiving £139,000 a week. The journey of the African player to become a legend at the Etihad Stadium was set on course.

2012 was a year of history for the cash-rich Manchester club. It is the year that the club beat Manchester United to the title on goal difference. Sergio Aguero scored the winner for Manchester City in stoppage time of the last game in the 2011/12 season. Yaya Toure was an integral part of the club’s midfield. This earned him much respect in the English Premier League and comparisons with some of the greatest midfielders in the league like Keane, Vieira, etc. was just a moment away. Toure came out and thanked his teammates for the title and paid tribute to his manager for trusting in him and playing him in a position that he found difficult to maintain in the previous clubs he represented.

In addition to that, Toure evolved to become a ruthless attacker who scored goals that are still admired today. In the 2013/14 season, Yaya Toure assumed a more attacking role in Manchester City and even though he was primarily deployed as a defensive midfielder. This season, Yaya Toure managed to score 20 goals in the English Premier League which was unspoken off considering that he came from deep to set himself up and his contribution won his club the English Premier League title again as well as the FA Cup. At this moment, Yaya Toure had become the more popular player in his family and had stepped out of the shadow of the former Arsenal player.

His career might sound smooth when reading this piece, but Toure has had his fair share of controversy during his time at City. The player once threatened to leave the club because they had forgotten to show him love on his 31st birthday. His agent, Dimitry Seluk, is the one that confirmed the story that the player felt disrespected and the club was put under pressure. Some saw this incident as a stunt by the pair to pressurize the club to improve the terms of the contract, and the club fell for it. His contract saw him being the highest paid player in English football at $334,000 a week. All this was soon going to fade away with the player approaching the ‘old age’ years.

The manager who pushed him out of the club at Barcelona and laughed at Toure for joining a ‘s**t’ team eventually found his way to Toure’s home. Pep Guardiola has announced the new boss at Manchester City in 2016, and the Ivorian player probably knew that he was doomed. It is no secret that the pair had a rocky relationship because of the way the manager treated Toure at Barcelona and eventually forced him to move to the Citizens. This time, Guardiola took over a club where Toure was already a legend and was the focal point of the team before Aguero. The Spaniard soon changed that and eventually left Yaya out of the first team after his manager after Toure’s agent, Dimitry Seluk, called out Guardiola on his hypocrisy in coming to England after making fun of the club in 2010. This did not sit down well with Guardiola, and he punished the player because of his agent’s words. The fans were heartbroken by this situation but the relationship was mended, and Yaya was restored to the first team early last year. He played enough to earn another year in an extension.

This season seems like it will be his last at Manchester City and he has been ousted again for the third time in his career by the same manager. Guardiola brought replacements for the player because he does not believe in his abilities and it is about time that the player takes the next step in his career. Toure played in the 4-1 win against West Ham today, and he could only manage a second-half appearance even when the team has been confirmed champions of the Premier League this season. It is evident that Guardiola never like him and the African player will probably leave in the summer. It has been quite a journey for the Ivorian midfielder who won the La Liga (twice), Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, FA Cup, League Cup (twice), and the English Premier League on three occasions. He has undoubtedly subscribed his name in the Hall of Fame of not just English football, but on the European scene and he will be missed if he decides to call his time at the end of the season.

Barcelona win 5-0 in the Copa del Rey final

Sevilla, who have been a strong team this season, succumbed to a 5-0 defeat against Barcelona when it mattered the most. Sevilla had enjoyed a great campaign that saw them defeat Manchester United in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League before being eliminated by Bayern Munich by one away goal. The club also made their way into this year’s Copa del Rey final which is equivalent to the FA Cup in England or the Nedbank Cup in South Africa.

Barcelona looked like they were playing with a different team as they went into the break with a 3-0 advantage. New signing Philippe Coutinho made a sprint into the box on the counter from a brilliant pass by Ter Stegen and drew the keeper to his feet before chipping a pass to his former Liverpool teammate, Luis Suarez to score on the 13th minute. Iniesta then played a delightful one-two with Jordi Alba before he made a brilliant back-heel pass to Messi who shot into the roof of the net for the second goal of the game. Suarez again made it on the score sheet after playing another one-two with Messi but this time from outside the box before sprinting for a short distance before meeting Messi’s pass which he calmly converted into the net. The second half was not disappointing either. Barcelona was out to prove that they are the best and they can beat Sevilla effortlessly. It is like they agreed that all the goals of the night have to come through their tiki-taka passes as this time Iniesta played with Messi before making a fake shot that got everyone on their feet. Iniesta then smashed the ball into the empty net having already dealt with the keeper with his trickery. The Spaniard played a crucial role in this match which some are saying it could be his last final before leaving Barcelona. Philippe Coutinho was handed the penalty to score on the 69th minute which completed the scores for the match. Barcelona ran out 5-0 victors and lifted the Copa del Rey for the 30th time.

Xavi shares some of his footballing genius

Xavi Hernandez has shared his secrets in football after being called a ‘Master of Football’ by fellow legend Diego Maradona. The 38 year old Al Sadd midfielder plans to retire at the end of this season after a stellar career predominantly played at Barcelona and the Spanish national team where he won all trophies that can be won by a player i.e. FIFA World Cup, Club World Cup, Euros, UEFA Champions Leagues, Domestic Leagues and Cups. He has lifted them all. His secret is using his strengths. He claims to be just a student of the Cruyff’s school and that he has found a way to compensate for his weakness in lacking speed. He was taught to use his brain and look 360 degrees every time he is on the ball so that he is aware of the options around him. He gave an example of Mbappe saying that the young forward can put the ball forward, run, and pass the player because he has the legs for it but Xavi’s strength was to find the next option and make a quick pass before the opponents close down the spaces. His brain was his mantra and his basic football made him one of the greats admired by many. Do you think that football is really that easy and that keeping it simple can make someone a ‘Master of Football’? Could it be that the Spaniard does not want to tell us his secrets on how to be a great player? Drop your comments below.