Wembley hero, driving force, champion: Yaya Touré's best moments at Manchester City
Manchester City say goodbye to Yaya Touré and the Côte d'Ivoire midfielder will become an unquestionable club.
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Yaya Touré will leave Manchester City at the end of this season as one of the players who define an era full of trophies at Etihad Stadium.
The £ 24 million move of the Ivory Coast midfielder from Barcelona in 2010 raised many eyebrows, but quickly proved to be a key figure in Roberto Mancini's team, inspiring City to the FA Cup and the Premier title League in consecutive seasons.
Toure reached levels rarely seen by a midfielder in the Premier League era during the first season of Manuel Pellegrini at the helm in 2013-14, securing his legacy as a great city.
Although it has shown a more marginal presence under former Barça boss Pep Guardiola, particularly on the way to a third top-flight title in the colors of the City this season, there is no doubt about the status of the 34 year old player in the club.
"Yaya Toure came here at the beginning of this club idea and what we are at this moment is what this guy has done," Guardiola told the press when he confirmed his departure on Friday.
Here we see some of the best moments of the midfield. [19659027] 150 – Yaya Toure is one of only four players to have appeared on the winning side in more than 150 games for Manchester City at @premierleague alongside David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Joe Hart. Uncle. pic.twitter.com/16LtTe4WzO
– OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 4, 2018
Wembley hero
Mancini's decision to deploy Toure as marauding attacking midfielder initially scoffed as he predominantly operated in a waiting role for Barcelona, but it turned out to be a master stroke as the defenses They were scattered by those driving marks. Timely goals were also a factor, never more than two unforgettable Wembley outings towards the end of the 2010-11 season. Toure sank his rivals at Manchester United 1-0 in the FA Cup semifinal before launching a left-footed shot to send Stoke City by the same score and securing the city's first major trophy for 35 years.
#OnThisDay – 2011 @YayaToure scored the only goal against @ManUtd in this semifinal #FACup . We won the final! https://t.co/avBq99prbZ
– Manchester City (@ManCity) April 16, 2016
Champion of the Premier League
The arrival of Sergio Agüero meant a change to 4-4-2 As the city shot out of the blocks in 2011-12, Toure dropped by Gareth Barry to control the games with his range of exquisite passes. Unleashing the great man became Mancini's "Plan B" during the last weeks of a tense Premier League bout with United and worked like a spell in the penultimate round at Newcastle United. With the game closed at 0-0, Nigel de Jong was introduced and Toure roamed free. He traded passes with Aguero to send a precise finish from 25 yards and added a last second to put Ciudad on the verge with a 2-0 win.
. @yayatoure of WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY out !! #scfcvcity #mancity pic.twitter.com/uZLPHlLtnu
– Manchester City (@ManCity) March 11, 2018
The driving force of the city
Aguero's exploit of improbable escapology on the last day meant that it was his goal and not that of Touré the previous weekend that remained as the indelible image of the City's first league title for 44 years. But when they repeated the feat under Pellegrini in 2013-14, there was no doubt about the main man. Released by the tenacious and implacable Fernandinho with him, Toure set out to dominate opponents, complete matches and the division in general.
He scored 20 goals and provided nine assists in 35 first-level appearances, including strikes in each Manchester Derby victory and four accurate direct shots of seven attempts. The day that Steven Gerrard slid infamously against Chelsea to give the City the initiative of the title, Toure scored a solo goal runaway in a crucial victory at Crystal Palace. Another to round a 4-0 hitting the Aston Villa brought down the house in the Etihad and showed an unstoppable force in mid-flight.
11 – Yaya Toure has the best record of 100% penalties in @premierleague history, noting the 11 punctual kicks she has received. Clinical. pic.twitter.com/h6E9afF2cz
– OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 4, 2018
Wembley's hero (again)
Before giving the best of himself to control the closure The stretch of the race for the title, Wembley signaled once again in 2014. The city was abject in the first half of the EFL Cup final against Sunderland and was behind a goal by Fabio Borini. They were a little better after the break until Toure turned an incredible 35 yards into the top corner. Samir Nasri and Jesus Navas completed a 3-1 victory. Two years later, on the same spot, Liverpool took City's bet to recover the cup for a penalty shoot-out. It was not a surprise to see Toure caressing home the decisive kick.
Remember this ?! #OnThisDay in 2014, @YayaToure did it in the Capital One Cup final. #mcfc https://t.co/f9SUjNjLGa
– Manchester City (@ManCity) March 2, 2016
From the cold with Guardiola
Toure's career seemed to run in City since his meeting with Guardiola had a difficult start. Considered out of shape when the team returned for the preseason, the Ivorian was frozen, a state of affairs prolonged by a public dispute between Guardiola and Toure's open agent Dimitri Seluk. His return to the Selhurst Park against Palace in November 2016 was a surprise, but the dismissal had done nothing to quell the meaning of the hero's occasion of the city. He opened the scoring and defeated a late winner in a 2-1 victory over a jubilant travel support. It was a timely reminder of better days and paved the way for the proper celebration farewell that he will enjoy against Brighton and Hove Albion next week.
Special praise from Pep Guardiola to @YayaToure . #mancity pic.twitter.com/X8fDtJQt2n
– Manchester City (@ManCity) May 4, 2018
