YAYA Toure, three-time African Footballer of the Year, has been referred to as ‘human train and colossus’ for his physical presence which is often combined with lung-bursting runs from midfield but the Ivorian has finally opened up on how he became a goal scoring machine.
Speaking candidly about how he transmuted from a defensive to attacking midfielder, Toure said the first thing in life was to believe in what you are capable of doing in spite of what others wanted for you.
“It started when I was in Belgium and I went to Arsenal to do some training,” recalled Yaya who is on the shortlist of PFA Player of the Year. “I remember the first chat I had with Arsene Wenger. He asked me: ‘Yaya, which positions do you want to play?’ I told him I wanted to be a midfielder. He said: ‘Why? When I saw you training, for me you look more like a striker.’
“I said: ‘Ah, that’s why you keep playing me up front! Move me; I want to play in midfield like Patrick Vieira. I can play like Patrick and I can be better than Patrick.’ He said: ‘No, no. That’s impossible. No one is better than Patrick.’
“Arsene liked me further forward because when I was training close to the goal I would take five shots and score with four of them. That was not too bad, but for me I wanted to definitely play in midfield. Then when I went back to Belgium the manager moved me further forward. It was nice and I enjoyed it but after that I moved back into midfield.”
Overtime, Toure is known for combining passing ability and physical power with technique according to a free online biography. A versatile player, he aspired to be a striker during his youth and has played centre back, including for FC Barcelona in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final. He frequently plays as a box-to-box midfielder for club and country and often switches from defensive and offensive positions throughout matches. Toure began his playing career at Ivorian club ASEC Mimosas. His performances attracted attention from Europe, playing for clubs in various European leagues- Beveren in Belgium, Metalurh Donetsk in Ukraine, Olympiakos in Greece, and AS Monaco in France. In 2007, Toure moved to Barcelona, playing over 100 matches for the club and was part of the historic 2009 Barcelona team which won six trophies in one calendar year.
“When I was 16 in Ivory Coast I played for ASEC Mimosas in Abidjan. It was a great club in my country and after that, I started to think about what would be the next level for me. In my mind all the big players are supposed to play in Europe. That was my target to be there and compare myself to them. That’s when I came to Belgium and started to play in the first team in Beveren.
“From there, I played for Metalurh Donetsk and it was an amazing experience. Coming from Africa, I started to learn how to eat properly, how to get rest and concentrate and I started to understand the high level of sport. You need to be careful with when you go out. You have to get more rest, and you have to be very, very focused.
“I spent one year at Olympiakos and won two trophies, so it was a good year! I got to play with Rivaldo, too, and he taught me so much. He gave me a lot of confidence before I went to Barcelona. We won the Greek league and cup.”
After success in Greece, Toure spent a season in Monaco before the big move to Barcelona: “It was unbelievable. In my second year I won six trophies (with Barcelona), which was an amazing achievement for an African player coming from Monaco. I was the only player who came from a small club but I learned so much about preparing for games and being professional. After that I always came to training an hour or two early because, for me, that’s very important.
“I know they loved me there and it was difficult to get out of Barcelona. Pep Guardiola said he wanted me to stay, but I knew it was the right time for me to go. I was 27 and it was time to move on and try to continue to play. I wanted to come to England with a big club and win trophies,” he said of his switch from Barcelona to Manchester.
This season, Toure has scored over 20 goals making him one of the best players of the season. His first goal of the 201314 season with a free kick as City beat Newcastle United 40 in their opening Premier League game. In City’s second home match of the season he scored in a similar fashion from a free kick against Hull City. His form continued with a goal from distance in the UEFA Champions League group match against Viktoria Plzeň on 17 September 2013.On 22 September, he scored the second goal in a 41 derby win over Manchester United and was named man of the match. His scoring streak continued when he scored direct from a free kick against Wigan Athletic in the third round of the Football League Cup. On 2 November, he scored again direct from a free kick, this time in a 70 victory against Norwich City. The goal was his fifth in the league and seventh overall. His current manager, Manuel Pellegrini has noted that Toure regularly stays behind after training to improve his free kick technique.
“Of course, I practise taking free kicks. In my first year with Mancini, I took those (free kicks) in training but in a game it was difficult because Carlos Tevez would just take the ball and hit it.
“And Mario Balotelli. But afterwards it was easier. Because I’m an experienced player, I’m calmer than the rest. When I want to shoot, first of all I only take a few steps back. For me it’s not just about the power, it’s about the technique as well. When you hit the ball, it has to be with precision. In England, you get a lot of tall players in the wall and it can be difficult to get the ball up and down quickly.
“Penalties are all about being calm. Joe Hart is very good with penalties: he’s quick in his movement, goes down very fast and he waits until the last minute. It makes it difficult in training for us but it’s good for me because in a match you can come up against a good goalkeeper who can stop your penalty, but we have had practice.”
Toure is indeed a wise one and was circumspect when pressed to compare Roberto Mancini with Manuel Pellegrini as the Manchester City’s hope of winning the Premier League again hangs in the balance: “It’s difficult to criticise the managers because they both work us very hard. Mancini had a different style, it was more about defensive skill, and with Pellegrini we are more attacking. All the players are enjoying it and we are improving.
“Samir Nasri and David Silva are doing fantastically well and Sergio Aguero is fantastic. We got new signings who have helped a lot. Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo have been great this season and I hope, with all this hard work we have done, at the end we will lift this trophy,” he added.
Source: Dailymail
