When one thinks of the best footballers of all time, the first thought concerns the strikers. Players like Weah, Abedi Pele and Eto’o were legends of the African continent, remembered by fans around the world for their fantastic goals and for their contribution to international teams such as Milan, Barcelona and Marseille. Yet one of the strongest African footballers ever, as pointed by Ghana football news, is a box-to-box midfielder who has managed to leave an indelible mark in two of the most important championships in the world: Yayà Tourè.
The Ivorian footballer, born in Bouakè in 1983, was a pillar of the historic barcelona which in 2009 won 6 trophies in the same year. For sure during those years Yayà Tourè was one of the most followed midfielders by the top international clubs and one of the strongest players on the scene. With the arrival of the Ivorian footballer, the great period of Manchester City began: in any team where he played, Tourè managed to win something. In the next paragraphs we will briefly talk about the story of Yaya Tourè.
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Belgium, Ukraine, Greece and France…then Barcelona
Yaya Tourè began his career as a professional footballer in Beveren, a Belgian mid-ranking team. His performance leads him, after two years, to move to Ukraine, where he exploits his powerful physique (6ft 2in) with Metalurh Donetsk and later in Greece at Olympiacos. It was with Olympiacos that he showed himself in the international arena, playing in the Champions League also with Monaco the following year.
The performances on the pitch, combined with his charisma, technique and physique make him attractive for many top European clubs, but it is Barcelona that managed to get him to sign a contract in 2006, bringing him to Spain.
In Barcelona Yaya Tourè becomes a pillar of the spaniard midfield, which needs a technically skilled player who is also able to defend. The Ivorian footballer was the focal point of the Catalan midfield for two years, until Pep Guardiola replaced him in that role with Sergio Busquets, giving Tourè even more defensive roles. In 2010 Tourè left Barcelona to join Manchester City.
The best African football player for 4 years in a row
His arrival in England coincides with the beginning of the winning cycle of Manchester City, until then relegated to the role of supporting player for United in the Mancunian city. Thanks to his characteristics he immediately becomes a pillar for Pellegrini, Mancini and Guardiola, who use him as a box-to-box midfielder. Thanks also to his ability to kick, Yaya Tourè scored more than 20 goals in the Premier League in 2014, second only to Lampard, with an average of 90.6% successful passes throughout the season.
With Manchester City Yaya Tourè played a total of 230 games in 8 years, also scoring 62 goals; in 2018 he interrupted his career with M. City, winning 3 Premier League, the FA Cup and the Community Shield. During the years spent in Manchester he was elected four times in a row “Best African player of the Year” (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) being in the IFFHS CAF Men’s Team of the Decade 2011–2020.
