Yaya Toure Quotes, a complete collection

Yaya Toure is a former Ivorian professional player who playing as a midfielder for many big clubs, the most famous of them are FC Barcelona, Manchester City. During his successful career, Toure won many major titles and individual awards including two La Liga and four Premier League titles as well as the 2008-09

. He was one of Barcelona's key players on their way to the first ever sextuple.

Toure played for Ivory Coast national team for eleven years. He represented his country in two World cups (2010-2014) and six African Cup of Nations. He won the title of the latter as the captain in 2015. He was voted the African Footballer of the Year four consecutive times from 2010 to 2014.

retired from football in 2020 after scoring 102 goals in 614 games. He is currently working as an assistant manager at the Russian club, Akhmat Grozny. In the following article we present you with a complete collection of

Yaya Toure quotes

.

Best Collection of Yaya Toure quotes

We present football fans with the Best collection of Yaya Toure quotes which includes his comments about his personality and career as well as his comments on other football stars.

Yaya Toure quotes about his character, childhood and personal life

Yaya Toure was born in 1983. His father, Mory Toure was a former army officer and also a farmer, as Yaya’s mother was. Toure experienced poverty from an early age and had to shine shoes to help his family. According to himself, He could not afford a playing shoe until he was 10 years old. But it all changed as soon as his career kick started. His older brother, Kolo Toure also turned a professional footballer and played for

. Toure married in 2004 and has two daughters. Toure has been active as an environmentalist for many years. It is certainly interesting to know more about Yaya Toure quotes on his own childhood, personality and private life.

On His childhood and Parents

My family were very poor. I am one of nine siblings: two girls and seven boys. Only my brother and I play in Europe, and then three more work in Europe, and another plays in Tunisia. This family is a footballing family, but our lives have not always been good.

You must respect people, and you must respect money. My father said to me: 'When you respect money, money will respect you.'

I just had a normal African childhood; we played football a lot, but it was always in the street and always without shoes. Boots were very expensive, and when there are seven in your family, and you say you want to buy a pair, your father wants to kill you.

I was very close with my brother, It was difficult to accept. I struggled in my head. I’d never seen people die.

On his Characteristics and preferences

Off pitch, I keep things simple. I enjoy spending time with my family. I never forget my roots and regularly give back to children in West Africa. I support several youth associations, and I am also involved in the protection of the forest in my country [Ivory Coast]. When away from home, I mostly miss people and enjoying a good laugh with my peers.

On the pitch and for life generally, I keep my center by remembering that I am part of a team and if I don't do my part, I let down not just my team but everyone who follows it.

We can all be weak, but we all have to make a conscious decision to be strong.

When you get the respect of the fans, it's very hard not to be happy.

The mentality with African and European people is different. In Africa, when you come from a difficult life, when it's not so easy to eat, not so easy to survive, you respect money when you start to earn it, and you respect people more. When you respect people, they will respect you, and your life is better for that.

I am very proud to be African. I want to defend African people, and I want to show to the world that African players can be as good as the Europeans and South Americans.

Thanks for all the birthday messages today. Card from City just arrived… Must have got lost in the post. Haha. Jokes aside. Please do not take words that do not come out of MY mouth seriously. Judge my commitment to @MCFC by my performances.

Well I give up..dancing is definitely not my cup of tea, it's way easier to kick a ball lols!!

If I was Belgian, if I was British, If I was French [I would get more recognition]… we are tired to hear that African football and Africans are not at that level. I’m very proud to be African, I want to defend African people. I want to show that to the world that African player can be as much good as Europeans are.

I’m very satisfied to see that FIFA is taking this issue very seriously and putting in place concrete measures to stop behaviour which goes against the spirit of our sport. It’s really important to know what a big problem racism is in society in general.

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On his environmentalist activities:

Currently poaching threatens the very existence of the African Elephant, and my worry is that if we do not act NOW, we could be looking at a future in which this iconic species is wiped out.

Each one of us has to work hard to achieve our collective dream for a healthier planet.

Sometimes people fail to see that individual decisions have universal consequences.

The illegal wildlife trade threatens not only the survival of entire species, such as elephants and rhinos, but also the livelihoods and, often, the very lives of millions of people across Africa who depend on tourism for a living.

Saving the world happens one person at a time. Be at the front of the queue. Each one of us has to work hard to achieve our collective dream for a healthier planet.

The environment is everything that makes up our surroundings and affects our ability to live on the earth - the air we breathe, the water that covers most of the earth's surface, the plants and animals around us, the overall condition of our planet, and much more.

My biggest concern and main engagement with UNEP is focused on endangered species and illegal wildlife trade - mostly elephants, rhinos, etc.

People need to make a stand and be clear that trading in ivory is immoral and unacceptable.

Protecting the environment is really important to everyone's welfare - that of our children, as well as that of the future generations.

The environment is everything that makes up our surroundings and affects our ability to live on the earth - the air we breathe, the water that covers most of the earth's surface, the plants and animals around us, the overall condition of our planet, and much more. Protecting the environment is really important to everyone's welfare - that of our children, as well as that of the future generations.

I have committed to contribute in raising general public awareness, as well as inspiring broad, positive, committed action against illegal trade. It is an on-going and tough fight, but I believe that if we all join our hands, we can conquer!

Yaya Toure quotes about football and his playing style

Yaya Toure is known the most for his incredible passing range, vision and physical ability. Toure started his career as a forward and continued to score many goals even when he changed his position to the center and the back of the pitch. He is also famous for his pace, stamina and physical presence and shooting skills. The followings are the

top quotes by Yaya Toure

about football and his own playing style.

I am a midfielder who is mainly involved in the defensive phases, even if I also like to help build moves - I would say that my foremost quality is my generosity.

English football is so physical and fast that when you see a space, you have to go into it with all your speed.

Football brings you lots of lovely things, but then you have to realise that it's actually a job.

The fans sing my name around the world. When I meet fans, they ask, 'How are you? All good with your family?'

I think the heart of the team and the point of the team is all about the midfielder. It's not fair to say that the bigger player, the best player, is the scorer.

Yaya Toure quotes on Messi and Ronaldo

In every generation, young football fans argue endlessly about who is the best player of the history of football. In our generation the debate is between

and

fans. Toure played alongside Lionel Messi for three years, during which Cristiano Ronaldo was Real Madrid's biggest star. Here are Yaya Toure quotes on Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo has done massive things in both the Premier League and in the Champions League, but Messi is the best though and I am convinced that next year he will win the Ballon d'Or.

I think that if he has to leave Barcelona, Messi will come to Manchester City,

Manchester City have the money to buy him, and only a few clubs in the Premier League could afford him to be honest.

I have doubts that he will leave Barcelona though, but it all comes down to Messi, I know he loves Barcelona, he loves the club and the footballing philosophy there.

If he comes to City then it will be interesting for the rest of league, especially because the rest of the teams are intense and tough, Because of the way Messi plays, a lot of coaches are going to love going against him because he sits on the touchline and doesn't want to track back and defend. (marca)

I hope Messi stays at Barça, I don’t see him outside of Barcelona. To see Messi in another team would be strange.

Top quotes by Yaya Toure about famous football players and teams

In this part of the article we present you with the top quotes by Yaya Toure about other football great stars and teams, including his comments on Andres Iniesta, Nemanja Matic and his Manchester City team mates.

We will conclude this part with all of Yaya Toure quotes about Pep Guardiola. Toure first lashed out at Guardiola after he left Barcelona. The two faced each other again in 2016, which marked the end of Toure's eight-year career at Manchester City. Again Toure was furious at his former coach and criticized him heavily in an infamous interview with France football, for which he issued an apology years later, in a new interview with DailyMail.

On Andres Iniesta:

- he is the Zinedine Zidane of the team, because he can do whatever you want him to with the ball.

On his team mates at City, Aguero, Sterling and Sane:

Everybody knows I have a feeling for

. I love Aguero. This guy is such a good striker. I’m going to miss my team-mates, I’m going to miss my little [Raheem] Sterling, my little [Leroy] Sane. They look like my babies.

On Nemanja Matic:

He’s such a difficult player to play against. Tall and strong as well. It’s been fun to play against him, even though it’s difficult. He’s powerful, he’s tall. I hate him, this bastard!

On the differences between El Clasico and Manchester Derby:

To be honest the Clásico is much bigger. United were always one of the best in England but City weren’t. Barça vs Madrid is the biggest rivalry in history.

His controversial comments about Pep Guardiola and his apology letter:

He [Guardiola] insists he has no problems with black players, because he is too intelligent to be caught out, But when you realise that he has problems with Africans, wherever he goes, I ask myself questions. He will never admit it.

But the day he will line up a team in which we find five Africans, not naturalised, I promise I will send him a cake. France football. (France football)

Pep likes to dominate and wants to have obedient players who lick his hands, I do not like this kind of relationship. I respect my coach but I am not his thing. Like all players I have bickered with my coaches. But at a certain point men who do not understand each other reconcile. This is not possible with Pep, who is very rigid. The other players will never admit it publicly but some have already told me that they ended up hating him. Because he manipulates and plays a lot with your head.

I think I was dealing with someone who just wanted revenge on me. I do not know why but I have the impression that he was jealous of me, that he took me for a rival. There you have it. We always looked at each other weirdly. He was spinning around me without saying anything, watching me, gauging me but not talking to me. Yet he knows that I speak Catalan, Spanish and English. It should be enough to communicate. But apparently no ... Every time we passed each other, he seemed embarrassed. As if I made him a little self-conscious. As if, also, he had understood that I knew him perfectly.

As someone proud, he wants to succeed with his players, those he has chosen and not those who have been chosen by others. This is his project. And woe to him who does not belong to it. Actually I want to be the one who breaks the Guardiola myth a bit.

, he did not invent it. He just had the intelligence to adapt what Cruyff had set up. Then, at Bayern and City, he tried to reproduce the same patterns but with this requirement: working with ‘his’ players and with almost unlimited means. It would not work at Crystal Palace or Watford.

Whenever I asked him something, he always gave strange answers, He pretty much ignored me until City's offer came in. That's why I eventually opted to leave. I didn't speak to Guardiola for a year. If he had talked to me, I would have stayed at Barcelona. I did not want to go and wanted to end my career at Barcelona. However, he had no faith in me.

I would have preferred to have no ceremony and leave with my head higher. I have the impression that Pep, without acknowledgment or respect, did everything to spoil my last season. It hurts when you spent eight years in a club. He stole my farewells with City, a club where the fans are beautiful. I would have liked to leave with emotion of this club as could Iniesta or Buffon. But Pep prevented me. (France football)

That interview was my big, huge mistake, When you give your trust, your voice to someone, they can twist it

I was aware some staff were not happy. I emailed a letter to try to communicate with some important people there to apologise and say I've been indecent to the club but I haven't had any feedback.

I want peace. We don't want this [acrimony] all the time. For the love of the fans, for the love of the club, sometimes things have to be settled the right way. I've been in touch with some people there. (Daily Mail)

Best Yaya Toure quotes about his club career

We wrap up our article on Yaya Toure quotes with a look at the

best Yaya Toure quotes

about his club career and International career.

On his time at FC Barcelona:

But I was thinking in my mind to get to a club where people can see me. At Barcelona I was surrounded by great players – Xavi, Iniesta, Messi – and that meant people thought it was easy for me to play with them. After I moved to City, people started to realise how capable I was.

When we won 6-2 against

in the Santiago Bernabéu. That match was iconic! It was at their stadium against a great Madrid side! We produced complete football that night. I will never forget it.

My favourite pitch is the Camp Nou because many stars like Ronaldo, Maradona etc… have played there. I’ve also played at that stadium with Messi, Eto’o, Henry, Alves, Iniesta etc… I am very grateful for reaching that stage.

Messi, Henry, Eto’o, Xavi and Iniesta. At that time, they were unbeatable. (BarcelonaUniversal)

I would work in Barcelona in any capacity, Barcelona B or the academy. I would like to work in La Masia, because I still have a home in Barcelona.

I know Barcelona loved me very much. Leaving was a very difficult decision. I had everything there – football and a wonderful life. The best that were played next to them: Iniesta and Xavi. I have always wanted to return to Barcelona.

On his 8-year spell with Manchester City

I was close to joining Chelsea, Juventus and Inter as well. Chelsea would've been easy because they already had a story as a great club. Didier Drogba was there as well. City were more demanding, if you understand what I mean. They said they were going to change, they want to be a big club, better than their neighbour.

When you spend a lot of money on one player, you want him to prove himself, but the way football works, one day you can be good, the next you can be bad, and the next after that, you can be very bad. I have come to Manchester City to work very hard and to help my friends make

great.

Carlos Tevez was a huge figure in that moment but he was quite concerned, when you see players like (Emmanuel) Adebayor, Robinho… City was doing good business but then those players were able to leave. They weren't adapting well with the club.

To be honest, proper recognition has only come from the fans. I don't want to be hard, and I don't want to be negative, but I want to be honest.

I will never forget how I have been treated here by the fans, the club and the owners, and nothing would give me greater pleasure than to finish my career as a Manchester City player.

[The Club has changed] a lot, Sometimes I miss my road and I go to Carrington! Just to see it and see how things have been moving. It’s my pleasure. Sometimes I see the gate closed and I sit in the car and take some pictures. I feel I have contributed to something.

On his international career with

When we play at the World Cup, any African will back any African team. Because we want to hear the different approach to African football. We want to hear that Africans can do well, and Africans do well.

I represent my country, but I also represent the continent of Africa when I play in Europe. That's why it's important to try to achieve something big.

When you win with your club, it’s quite amazing. With your country, it’s unbelievable. Without the manager we would have won nothing. He made things difficult for me. He told me if I didn’t run he’d kick me out. He’s fantastic.

I want to continue to progress with the Ivorian team and at my club. I am the kind of person who is always willing to win and move forward. I will hang up my boots the day I no longer have the zeal to compete for titles and victories.

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Yaya Toure quotes

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