Yaya Toure – Legend Among Men

Manchester City midfielder, Yaya Toure has achieved a successful football career with significant accomplishments under his belt. The four-time African Player of the Year is also a two-time Premier League champion with Manchester City and one-time with Barcelona. There seems to be nothing slowing down this star, distinguishing him from the rest in his generation.

Born Gnegneri Yaya Toure in Bouake, Ivory Coast, the football player started his career in 1996 at the AESEC Football Academy based in Abidjan. He played for Olympiacos and Barcelona in 2005 and 2006 respectively, before joining Barcelona for a whopping €10 million contract in 2007. His signing fee more than doubled with his transfer to his present team, Manchester City, contributing to a number of outstanding feats afterwards – 3-0 defeat of Liverpool in the 2010-2011 season and a 4-0 defeat of Aston Villa. Significantly, the latter made him the second player in history to score 20 goals in a Premier League season after Frank Lampard.

In 2014, Toure was named Captain of the Ivory Coast national football team, which has played in a total of six African Cup of Nations tournaments. Les Elephants soon emerged as the winners of the 2015 tournament under Toure’s leadership.

Now, here’s a fun-fact: Toure’s sharp tongue has gotten him some major backlash in the past, and the star seems quite unfazed by this to a great degree. It was just last year when his unpleasant reaction to losing out on the 2015 African Player of the Year Award was heavily criticized by the football community. Maybe his bluntness is a result of his confidence in his gift, or him just being misunderstood. Either way, this has yet to stand in the way of Toure’s shine and we look forward to what the future holds for the football legend.

Is Yaya Toure not a legend among men? Tell us what you think.