6.Yaya Toure
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Gnegneri Yaya Toure was born on the 13th of May in 1983 where he played for ASEC Mimosas (winning a league title in 2001) like his older brother before moving to Beveren in Belgium at the age of 18. 2 years later, he also had a trial at Arsenal (where Kolo Toure was playing), but he struggled in a pre-season match ag ainst Barnet. Although Arsene Wenger saw the talent in him, his struggles with a work permit led to him moving to Metalurh Donetsk in Ukraine. He only spent one and a half years there before he moved to Greek side Olympiacos in 2005, where he began to establish himself with 32 appearances as they won a domestic double. AS Monaco came next, but they just struggled to stay up after a managerial change led to an upturn in form in the second half of the season. His part in their survival (with 5 goals) led to FC Barcelona’s £6.7 million in 2007. He was a part of that legendary side that won 6 trophies in 2008/2009, playing in the final as a centre-back – only his 3rd appearance in that position for Barcelona.
After 117 matches and 7 trophies, he moved to Manchester City for £24 million. There, he played alongside his older brother Kolo Toure on his way becoming one of the league’s most dominant midfielders. In 2011, he scored against Wigan to end a 35-year wait for a major trophy with a 1-0 win in the FA Cup final. He assisted Zabaleta’s first goal in that incredible 3-2 victory on the final day before coming off injured as they triumphed in the last seconds against QPR to win the Premier League after 44 years. In 2013/2014, he matched Frank Lampard’s 20-goal haul for a midfielder in a Premier League season as City won the Premier League title again. He was also made the club vice-captain, although he wore the armband numerous times. Despite nominally being a central midfielder, he’s racked up an impressive 72 goals in 263 games for Manchester City – especially at Wembley and in crucial big games.
For the Ivory Coast, he was called up at the age of 21. He’s played in 6 African Cup of Nations, finally clinching it alongside his brother in 2015 as the captain – after Didier Drogba’s retirement. He’s been in the team of the tournament 3 times, and won the African Footballer of the Year in from 2011 to 2014. He’s also been voted the BBC African Footballer of the Year twice, scoring 19 goals in 100 matches for his country.
