Gnégnéri Yaya Touré (born 13 May 1983) is an Ivorian professional
football coach and former
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...
who played as a
midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
. He is currently an assistant coach for the
Saudi Arabia national team.
Touré aspired to be a
striker during his youth and has played
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
, including for
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
in the
2009 UEFA Champions League final.
However, he spent the majority of his career as a
box-to-box midfielder for club and country, where he has been regarded as one of the world's best players in his position. One of the greatest African players of all time, Touré was voted
African Footballer of the Year
The African Footballer of the Year award, presented to the best African association football, footballer each year, has been conferred by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) since 1992.
Samuel Eto'o and Yaya Touré have won the award the ...
for 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Touré began his playing career at Ivorian club
ASEC Mimosas
ASEC Mimosas (short for Association Sportive des Employés de Commerce Mimosas; ) is an Ivorian professional football club based in Abidjan. The club is also known as ''ASEC Abidjan'', especially in international club competitions. Founded in 194 ...
, where he made his debut at age 18. His performances attracted attention from Europe. He had stints with
Beveren,
Metalurh Donetsk,
Olympiacos and
Monaco
Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
before moving to Barcelona in 2007. He played over 100 matches for the club and was part of the historic Barcelona team that won six trophies in a calendar year, in 2009. In 2010, Touré moved to Premier League club
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
, where he scored a number of key goals, most notably the only goals in the 2011
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
semi-final and
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
. He also helped City earn their first
league title in 44 years.
Touré earned 100
caps for the Ivory Coast from 2004 to 2015, representing the nation at the
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
,
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
and
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...
tournaments. He also represented them in six
Africa Cup of Nations
The Africa Cup of Nations, commonly abbreviated as AFCON and officially known as the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, is the main biennial international men's association football competition in Africa. It is s ...
in
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
,
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
,
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
,
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
,
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
and
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
, helping them finish runner-up in 2006 and 2012, while
captaining them to victory in 2015. He is the younger brother of fellow former footballer
Kolo Touré
Kolo Abib Touré (born 19 March 1981) is an Ivorian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former player. He most recently managed then-Championship club Wigan Athletic F.C., Wigan Athletic.
Beginning his career as a ...
who was his teammate at Manchester City and the national team.
Club career
Early career
Touré was born in
Bouaké
Bouaké (or Bwake, N'Ko script, N’ko: ߓߐ߰ߞߍ߫ ''Bɔ̀ɔkɛ́'') is the second-largest list of cities in Ivory Coast, city in Ivory Coast, with a population of 740,000 (2021 census). It is the seat of three levels of subdivisions of Ivory ...
. He joined the
ASEC Mimosas
ASEC Mimosas (short for Association Sportive des Employés de Commerce Mimosas; ) is an Ivorian professional football club based in Abidjan. The club is also known as ''ASEC Abidjan'', especially in international club competitions. Founded in 194 ...
youth academy in 1996 on the recommendation of his long-time mentor Patrick van Reijendam. A prominent figure in the ASEC academy was
Jean-Marc Guillou. In 2001, Guillou invested heavily in a Belgian club,
Beveren, with the aim of using the team to showcase Ivorian players in a European league. Touré moved to Beveren in 2001, one of many ASEC players to do so in this period. By 2003, he was one of 14 Ivorians in the Beveren squad.
In the summer of 2003, Touré had a trial with
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. He started a pre-season
friendly against
Barnet on 19 July which finished a 0–0 draw. The
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC BBC Television, television, BBC Radio, radio and BBC Online, online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadc ...
website said that Touré "blotted his copy book by missing Arsenal's clearest chance of the game, heading a cross from
Quincy Owusu-Abeyie wide." Wenger was still keen to sign the then 20-year-old but Touré had difficulties in receiving a
work permit
A work permit or work visa is the permission to take a job within a foreign country. The foreign country where someone seeks to obtain a work permit for is also known as the "country of work", as opposed to the "country of origin" where someone ho ...
. Ultimately, Touré grew impatient and opted to sign for Ukrainian club
Metalurh Donetsk in December 2003, where he spent one and a half years.
Olympiacos and Monaco
Touré joined
Olympiacos in 2005. He was described as "the new
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Paul Vieira (; born 23 June 1976) is a French professional association football, football manager and former player who is the head coach of Serie A club Genoa CFC, Genoa. He was named in the FIFA 100 of the greatest living footballers i ...
" by his older brother. Olympiacos won the double that season, and Touré was one of their key players. His performances in Greece were impressive and attracted interest from many clubs.
Touré signed for French
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
club
Monaco
Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
in August 2006. However, he had a difficult relationship with the incumbent manager,
László Bölöni, with Touré claiming Bölöni refused to play him in his preferred midfield position. Bölöni was soon sacked with Monaco languishing in the second-last position in the league table.
Laurent Banide replaced Bölöni and Touré subsequently became an influential player in the second half of the season, scoring five times to help haul the club out of relegation difficulties. He had established himself as a key midfielder, and with interest from around Europe he decided to join
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
in the summer of 2007.
Barcelona
Touré joined Spanish
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
club Barcelona for €10 million (£6.7 million) and made his official debut for the club on 26 August 2007 during the
2007–08 La Liga season opener against
Racing de Santander. He scored his first goal in a La Liga match against
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Southern Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain. They are known ...
on 2 September 2007, which Barcelona won 3–1. His first
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
match for Barcelona was against
Schalke 04 in the
2007–08 quarter-final, securing a 2–0 aggregate victory and a berth in the semi-final.
During the early stages of the
2008–09 season, newly appointed manager
Pep Guardiola
Josep "Pep" Guardiola Sala (; born 18 January 1971) is a Catalans, Catalan professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player from Spain who has been the manager of club Manchester City F.C., Ma ...
favoured
Sergio Busquets in the defensive role of Barcelona's midfield trio. In the
2009 Champions League final, Touré played at
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
due to injuries and suspensions of first-choice defenders, despite having only played there twice before for Barcelona. In late June 2010, Barcelona confirmed that Touré would be allowed to leave the club in the summer window.
Manchester City
2010–11: Debut season and FA Cup
On 2 July 2010, Touré signed a five-year contract with
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
club
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
for a fee of around £24 million. He made his Premier League debut on 14 August in a 0–0 away draw against
Tottenham Hotspur. A week later, Touré impressed in the 3–0 home win over
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, forming a part of a three-man midfield with
Gareth Barry and
Nigel de Jong. On 19 September, Touré scored his first City goal, against
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, they have p ...
. The goal was scored in the 70th minute and Touré was assisted by
Carlos Tevez, who also scored in that match. Touré had been seen to take up a more attacking position under
Roberto Mancini and revelled in the position. In December, he scored a brilliant left-footed drive against
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
and soon scored a second, which was later credited as an own goal because the ball rebounded off the post onto goalkeeper
Robert Green's back and bounced in.
In January 2011, Touré scored his third goal against
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
in a delightful counter-attack move, with Touré making up 90 yards to latch onto the ball and fire it past the goalkeeper, with Manchester City eventually winning 4–3. Touré's fifth goal for City came on 25 February in a
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
match against
Aris. The goal was a deflected strike to make the score 3–0 to Manchester City. On 16 April 2011, Touré scored the only goal of the game in a Man of the Match performance against
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
in the FA Cup semi-final. Touré continued his
Wembley success by scoring the only goal in his team's 1–0 win over
Stoke City in the
2011 FA Cup final, ending Manchester City's 35-year wait for a major trophy, and writing himself into Manchester City folklore in the process.
2011–12: First Premier League title
The
2011–12 season began strongly as Manchester City led the table for the majority of the season, with Touré playing a vital part in midfield. On 21 December 2011, in a 3–0 home win over Stoke City, Touré set new Premier League records for most passes attempted (168) and most completed (157) in a single match. His efforts and performances were rewarded as he was crowned
African Footballer of the Year
The African Footballer of the Year award, presented to the best African association football, footballer each year, has been conferred by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) since 1992.
Samuel Eto'o and Yaya Touré have won the award the ...
for 2011, an impressive achievement for a midfielder, since the previous 12 awards have gone to African forwards.
As the 2011–12 came to a close, Manchester City lost ground to Manchester United in the Premier League title race. After a defeat by Arsenal on 8 April 2012, an eight-point deficit had been established between City and leaders United, with most writing off City's chances of winning the league with six matches remaining. However, City defeated
West Bromwich Albion 4–0,
Norwich City 6–1, and Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–0 with United slipping-up, meaning the deficit at the top was now only three points with only three matches to play. A victory at home to Manchester United would move City to top on goal difference. The match was keenly anticipated as one of the most important matches the Premier League's 20-year history. Manchester City won the match, thanks to
Vincent Kompany
Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany (born 10 April 1986) is a Belgian professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former Association football, player who played as a centre-back. He is currently the head coach of ...
headed goal just before half-time. Touré's performance throughout the match garnered many plaudits in the media, describing his performance as "dominant" and "magnificent".
Touré scored a brace on 6 May in City's 2–0 win over
Newcastle United, moving three points above Manchester United with one match left to play in the Premier League season. Touré played the full first half before coming off due to injury as City defeated
Queens Park Rangers 3–2 on the final day of the season, assisting
Pablo Zabaleta's opening goal in the 39th minute, to secure the first league championship for City in 44 years.
2012–2014: Collective and individual success
Touré started the
2012–13 season with a goal in the
FA Community Shield
The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is Football in England, English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA ...
in the 3–2 win over
Chelsea in
Aston Villa's stadium
Villa Park
Villa Park is a association football, football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witt ...
. This goal was followed up by scoring first for City in two games, against Liverpool at
Anfield and against Queens Park Rangers at home. In City's opening
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
match of the season, away to
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
, Touré produced a stellar individual performance, assisting an
Edin Džeko goal and continually worrying the hosts. However, despite his best efforts, City lost 3–2 to a late
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Saudi Pr ...
goal. He also scored in the
Manchester derby
The Manchester derby refers to association football, football matches between Manchester City F.C., Manchester City and Manchester United F.C., Manchester United, first contested in 1881. City play at the City of Manchester Stadium in Bradford, ...
, making it 2–1 to Manchester United, but City eventually lost 3–2. On 20 December 2012, Touré was crowned the 2012 African Player of the Year award at a ceremony in
Accra
Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...
, Ghana. It is the second time he has won the award. On 24 February 2013, after returning from the
2013 Africa Cup of Nations
The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange S.A., Orange Africa Cup of Nations South Africa 2013 for sponsorship reasons, held from 19 January to 10 February 2013, was the 29th Africa Cup of Nations, the Association football, footbal ...
, Touré scored the opening goal as City beat Chelsea 2–0 in the Premier League. On 4 April 2013, Touré signed a new contract with City, keeping him at the club until 2017.
Touré scored his first goal of the
2013–14 season with a free kick as City defeated Newcastle United 4–0 in their opening
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
match. On 22 September 2013, he scored the second goal in a 4–1 derby win over Manchester United and was named man of the match. Under City manager
Manuel Pellegrini
Manuel Luis Pellegrini Ripamonti (; ; born 16 September 1953) is a Chilean professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of Real Betis. As a coach, he has managed clubs in S ...
, Touré was promoted to
vice-captain. He regularly
captained the team in the first half of the 2013–14 season in the absence of Vincent Kompany. On 2 December, Touré was named the 2013
BBC African Footballer of the Year.
On 4 December 2013, Touré scored twice for Manchester City in a 3–2 win at West Bromwich Albion. This took his tally of league goals to seven, his highest in a single Premier League season. On 2 March 2014, Touré scored the equalising goal for Manchester City in the
2014 League Cup final against
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
.
The match ended in a 3–1 win for Manchester City. He scored the first
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
of his career on 22 March in a 5–0 home win over
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
. Touré scored the third goal for Manchester City on 25 March in the Manchester Derby at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
, helping City to a 3–0 victory over their local rivals. On 18 April, Touré was named as one of the six players on the shortlist for the
PFA Players' Player of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Men's Players' Player of the Year (often called the PFA Men's Players' Player of the Year, the Players' Player of the Year, or simply the Player of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is ...
award before being named in the
PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...
.
On 7 May 2014, Touré scored his 20th Premier League goal of the season in a 4–0 win against Aston Villa, becoming only the second midfielder to score 20 goals in a Premier League season, after
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of English club Coventry City. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, one of Chelsea's greates ...
. His performances helped City to a second Premier League title in three years. Touré completed more passes than any other player throughout the 2013–14 Premier League season, with 1,169 successful passes in total; he also made an average of 76.41 passes per game, and achieved an average passing accuracy of 90.76% throughout the course of the entire season.
2014–2018: Later seasons and departure
On 5 November 2014, in a home
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
group fixture against CSKA Moscow, Touré scored City's equaliser in the eighth minute after
Seydou Doumbia
Seydou Doumbia (; born 31 December 1987) is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a forward.
After beginning his career in the Ivory Coast and Japan, he arrived in Europe in 2008 to play for Swiss club Young Boys, where he wa ...
had taken under two minutes to put CSKA ahead. City were already 2–1 down and had
Fernandinho sent off when Touré was dismissed for shoving
Roman Eremenko. The result put City into last place in their group. On 1 March 2015, Touré started the Premier League match against Liverpool and his brother
Kolo Touré
Kolo Abib Touré (born 19 March 1981) is an Ivorian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former player. He most recently managed then-Championship club Wigan Athletic F.C., Wigan Athletic.
Beginning his career as a ...
came on as an 83rd-minute substitute, marking the first time the two brothers faced each other in a competitive match.
On 10 August 2015, Touré scored as Manchester City defeated West Bromwich Albion 3–0 at
The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns is an All-seater stadium, all-seater association football, football stadium in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, with a capacity of 26,688. It has been the home of EFL Championship, Championship club West Bromwich Albion F.C. ...
in their opening fixture of the
2015–16 Premier League
The 2015–16 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 24th season of the Premier League, the top English professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992, and the ...
season. Although he played in the second leg of the Champions League play-off against
Steaua București, Guardiola opted to omit Touré from City's Champions League squad. Touré's agent, Dimitri Seluk, subsequently stated that Guardiola humiliated Touré by omitting him for the first team. In response, Guardiola said Touré would not be included in the team until he receives an apology. A few weeks after a public apology to Guardiola on behalf of his agent, Touré made a surprising return to the first team on 16 November, starting against
Crystal Palace in which he scored two goals to earn City a 2–1 away win.
It was announced on 4 May 2018 that Touré would leave Manchester City at the end of the
2017–18 season. His final appearance came in the 3–1 win over
Brighton & Hove Albion.
Later career
Toure re-signed for
Super League Greece
The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...
club Olympiacos on 2 September 2018. His contract with Olympiacos was terminated in December 2018 by mutual agreement.
On 3 July 2019, Touré joined
China League One club
Qingdao Huanghai. He left the club on 1 January 2020. He started to work with his advisor, in Asia,
Richard Harcus to help with his transition into coaching, with a lot of speculation as it whether he would continue playing in Asia for another season.
International career

Touré was a regular member of the
Ivory Coast national team from his debut in 2004 to the end of his international career after 2015. In 2014, he was named captain of the team following the retirement of
Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. He is the Top international association football goal scorers by cou ...
. Touré won his 100th international
cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...
in his side's 0–0 draw with
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...
on 19 November 2014.
Touré appeared in all three of Ivory Coast's matches at the
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...
. In the
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
tournament, he again played in all three of his nation's games, scoring the opening goal in a 3–0 win over
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
. Touré made his third and final World Cup tournament appearance during the
2014 competition, and captained the team in their opening match, a 2–1 defeat of
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
.
Touré represented the Ivory Coast at six
Africa Cup of Nations
The Africa Cup of Nations, commonly abbreviated as AFCON and officially known as the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, is the main biennial international men's association football competition in Africa. It is s ...
tournaments, in
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
,
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
,
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
,
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
,
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
and
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
; his side ended as runners-up in the 2006 and 2012 editions, and won the tournament in 2015. Touré was named in the
CAF's team of the tournament in
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
,
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
and
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
. On 4 February 2015, Touré scored the opening goal in the Ivory Coast's 3–1 semi-final victory over
DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
to qualify the team for their third Africa Cup of Nations final in nine years. On 8 February, in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
held at the
Estadio de Bata in Equatorial Guinea, Touré captained the Ivory Coast as they won a first AFCON title since
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
, defeating
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
in a penalty shoot-out.
On 20 September 2016, Touré announced his retirement from international football. He returned to the national team set-up in March 2018, but would play no further games for the nation before his eventual retirement from professional football.
Style of play
Formerly a
striker,
Touré played primarily in the
centre of the pitch as either a
holding midfielder or as a
box-to-box midfielder, often switching between offensive and defensive stances throughout matches in the latter role. Touré was a complete and versatile midfielder.
He was also capable of playing as a
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
or in the
number 10 role.
His key strengths were his passing range, vision and physical ability. He was gifted with good technique and ball control, although he also excelled defensively at breaking down opposing attacking plays and winning back possession through his powerful tackling ability.
He was known for his pace, stamina and physical presence, which was often combined with runs from midfield, and he had been referred to as a "human train" and a "colossus" by various pundits. Touré was frequently pushed forward during the latter part of matches, most notably in the penultimate match of the 2011–12 season against Newcastle United where Touré scored two late goals to win the match, and put Manchester City at the top of the league. He was also capable of scoring goals due to his powerful striking ability from distance, and his heading ability, as well as his adeptness at scoring from
free kicks and
penalties.
Jonathan Wilson, when writing for ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' in 2013, described Touré as a holding midfielder who can "make tackles," and who was "capable of regaining the ball," while also noting that he frequently functioned "as the more creative player alongside a destroyer." He also added that "he likes to make forward surges." As such, he labelled Touré as a "carrier" or "surger," namely "a player capable of making late runs or carrying the ball at his feet."
Touré had in his repertoire an unusual method of striking the ball, referred to by Norwegian footballer
Alexander Tettey
Alexander Banor Tettey (born 4 April 1986) is a former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. Born in Ghana, he played for the Norway national team from 2007 to 2016, earning 34 caps.
Having established himself at Rosen ...
as a "Yaya", and described by
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC BBC Television, television, BBC Radio, radio and BBC Online, online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadc ...
's
Pat Nevin as a way of striking the ball with a far back area of the foot close to the heel, allowing the ball to move in a straight line which a goalkeeper can find hard to read.
Coaching career
Embarking on his coaching pathway Yaya Touré sat his UEFA licence through the
Welsh FA (FAW) with the guidance of his then Asian agent
Richard Harcus. During
COVID 19 he assisted at
Leyton Orient FC.
On 10 February 2021, Touré joined
Ukrainian Premier League
The Ukrainian Premier League ( ) or UPL is a professional association football league in Ukraine and the highest level of the Ukrainian football league system.
Originally known as the Vyshcha Liha ( , ) it was formed in 1991 during the 1992 in ...
club
Olimpik Donetsk as assistant manager. He left the position after 4 months at the club.
On 14 June 2021, Touré was appointed as an assistant coach by
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League (RPL; , ''Rossiyskaya premyer-liga''; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is a professional association football league in Russia and the highest level of the Russian football league system. It was establis ...
club
Akhmat Grozny until June 2022. Touré left the club on 13 December 2021.
After a spell coaching part-time, Touré became an under-16 coach at
Tottenham Hotspur's academy in August 2022. The following June, he moved to Belgian club
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège ( ; ; ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège.
They are one of the most successful clubs in Belgium, having won t ...
as assistant manager.
On 3 November 2023, Touré was named as assistant coach of the
Saudi Arabia national team, to join the staff of his former manager at Manchester City
Roberto Mancini.
Personal life
Touré is the younger brother of
Kolo Touré
Kolo Abib Touré (born 19 March 1981) is an Ivorian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former player. He most recently managed then-Championship club Wigan Athletic F.C., Wigan Athletic.
Beginning his career as a ...
, who was his teammate at Manchester City and the Ivory Coast national team. Their younger brother
Ibrahim Touré was also a footballer, who died on 19 June 2014 at the age of 28 after a short battle with cancer. Touré is Muslim.
[
In October 2013, Touré joined a campaign against elephant poaching, becoming a goodwill ambassador for the ]United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...
.
On 13 December 2016, Touré pleaded guilty to drink driving. He was arrested by police on 28 November after being pulled over and found to be more than twice over the legal driving limit. Touré said he had not "intentionally consumed alcohol", explaining to the court he had consumed diet cola from a jug at a party without realising there was brandy in it.[ He conceded that his drink tasted "odd" and that he felt tired after consuming it, but did not suspect he was drunk.] Judge Gary Lucy said it was "inconceivable" that he was unaware that he was drinking alcohol.[ Touré was banned from driving for 18 months, and was fined £54,000 – at the time the largest fine for drink driving in British legal history.][
In 2018, Yaya Touré acquired British citizenship.
]
Awards and nominations
Touré was nominated in the Personality of the Year category at the 2014 MTV Africa Music Awards. In July 2014, Touré was nominated for Prize in Entertainment at the 2014 The Future Africa Awards. In December 2015, Touré won the BBC African Footballer of the Year on a public vote for the second time, after leading the Ivory Coast to victory in the 2015 African Cup of Nations.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Ivory Coast score listed first, score column indicates score after each Touré goal''[
]
Honours
Olympiacos
*Alpha Ethniki
The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...
: 2005–06
*Greek Football Cup
The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Betsson Greek Cup for sponsorship reasons is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's footba ...
: 2005–06
Barcelona
*La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
: 2008–09, 2009–10
*Copa del Rey
The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
: 2008–09
*Supercopa de España
The Supercopa de España, also known as the Spanish Super Cup, is a super cup tournament in Football in Spain, Spanish football. Founded in 1982 Supercopa de España, 1982 as a two-team competition, the current version has been contested since 2 ...
: 2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
*UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
: 2008–09
*UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup Association football, football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's offic ...
: 2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
*FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...
: 2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
Manchester City
*Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
: 2011–12, 2013–14, 2017–18
*FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
: 2010–11; runner-up: 2012–13
*Football League Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
: 2013–14, 2015–16
*FA Community Shield
The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is Football in England, English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA ...
: 2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
Qingdao Huanghai
* China League One: 2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
Ivory Coast
*Africa Cup of Nations
The Africa Cup of Nations, commonly abbreviated as AFCON and officially known as the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, is the main biennial international men's association football competition in Africa. It is s ...
: 2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
; runner-up: 2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
, 2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
Individual
* Ivory Coast Player of the Year: 2009
* CAF Team of the Year: 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
*African Footballer of the Year
The African Footballer of the Year award, presented to the best African association football, footballer each year, has been conferred by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) since 1992.
Samuel Eto'o and Yaya Touré have won the award the ...
: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
* Premio Bulgarelli Number 8: 2013
* ESM Team of the Year: 2013–14
*PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...
: 2011–12 Premier League, 2013–14 Premier League
* BBC African Footballer of the Year: 2013, 2015
* Manchester City Player of the Year: 2013–14
*Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2015
*Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
Premier League Team of the Decade: 2010–2019
* IFFHS CAF Men's Team of the Decade 2011–2020
* IFFHS
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...
All-time Africa Men's Dream Team: 2021
* FWA Tribute Award: 2023
See also
*List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
In association football, a cap is traditionally awarded in international football to a player making an official appearance for their national team. This article lists all men's football players who have played in 100 or more official internat ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toure, Yaya
1983 births
Living people
Footballers from Bouaké
Ivorian Muslims
Ivorian men's footballers
Ivory Coast men's international footballers
Men's association football defenders
Men's association football midfielders
ASEC Mimosas players
K.S.K. Beveren players
FC Metalurh Donetsk players
Olympiacos F.C. players
AS Monaco FC players
FC Barcelona players
Manchester City F.C. players
Qingdao F.C. players
Belgian Pro League players
Ukrainian Premier League players
Super League Greece players
Ligue 1 players
La Liga players
Premier League players
China League One players
UEFA Champions League–winning players
African Footballer of the Year winners
2006 Africa Cup of Nations players
2006 FIFA World Cup players
2008 Africa Cup of Nations players
2010 Africa Cup of Nations players
2010 FIFA World Cup players
2012 Africa Cup of Nations players
2013 Africa Cup of Nations players
2014 FIFA World Cup players
2015 Africa Cup of Nations players
Africa Cup of Nations–winning players
FIFA Men's Century Club
Ivorian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium
Expatriate men's footballers in China
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Expatriate men's footballers in Greece
Expatriate men's footballers in Monaco
Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
Expatriate men's footballers in Ukraine
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in China
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in England
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Monaco
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Russia
Association football coaches
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. non-playing staff
Standard Liège non-playing staff
21st-century Ivorian sportsmen