Yaya Touré: The Legend Without A Statue

When Yaya Touré signed for Manchester City in the summer of 2010, it was seen by many as a good but not game-changing signing. The defensive midfielder had been displaced by Sergio Busquets and played as a makeshift centre back for Barcelona in the 2009 Champions League final, making it clear that his relationship with Pep Guardiola had deteriorated enough that a move seemed best for both parties. Widely regarded as City’s best transfer window ever, the 2010 summer window also saw the arrivals of Jerome Boateng, James Milner, Alexander Kolarov, Mario Balotelli, David ‘El Mago’ Silva, and of course, Touré. Whilst each of these players’ City careers panned out differently, it’s Silva’s City legacy that is secured for generations to come with a statue outside the Etihad. Touré’s, despite all his success, is harder to gauge and has been tarnished – for some - by gripes over birthday cakes, outbursts by his agent and unproven accusations of Guardiola being racist. 

Touré’s first year at City was a truly memorable one and one in which he cemented his status as one of the finest players in world football. Not only did City qualify for the Champions League for the first time, they ended their 35-year trophy drought with Touré at the heart of it all. His winning mentality and his ability to seemingly put the entire team on his broad shoulders was on impressive display, as seen in his goal in the FA Cup Semi-Final win over Manchester United and his only/winning goal in the win over Stoke City in the Final (City’s first FA Cup Final since 1981). Touré’s presence on the pitch was also instrumental in making City an attractive destination for ambitious, star players. They had won a trophy and qualified for the prestigious Champions League, two key factors in convincing a certain promising Argentinian striker from Atletico Madrid to join City the following year. While financial riches may rightfully be any footballer’s motivation, Touré was a driving catalyst for the culture change at City, making it known that we weren’t just “happy to be here.” We were here to win. 

Memorable moments kept coming for Touré at City. His second half brace at Champions League chasing Newcastle, in the penultimate game of the 2011/12 season, ensured City just had to beat QPR to win their first league title since 1968. We all know what happened next. After Roberto Mancini’s departure after the shock defeat to Wigan in the FA Cup final, Touré’s impressive play elevated even further under his successor Manuel Pellegrini. His equaliser against Sunderland in the League Cup final is widely lauded as one of the best goals Wembley has ever seen, a game City went on to win 3-1. His 2013/14 season is the stuff of legends, up there with the greatest league seasons from a central/defensive midfielder ever. With 20 goals and 13 assists, Touré had a serious case for PFA Player of the Year. Unfortunately, Luis Suarez had carried Liverpool to a 2nd placed finish with 31 goals in 33 games and pipped Touré to this prize. 

For not only what he accomplished on the pitch, the signing of Yaya Touré is arguably one of the, if not the most important signings in City’s history. Had Touré not joined in the summer of 2010 there may have been no FA Cup win, no Aguero signing, no Aguero moment and ultimately no Manchester City as the global juggernaut that we know them today. Naysayers will argue that City would have reached the heights they have today with or without Touré’s contributions, but his larger-than-life impact on and off the pitch suggest otherwise. Recency bias affects us all at times. Touré’s eventual decline at City, his refusal to accept a bit part player role, coupled with the aforementioned outbursts by his agent and his already less than ideal relationship with Guardiola may have negatively shaped how many City fans view Touré’s legacy. 

However, his contributions in the Mancini and Pellegrini years deserve to be celebrated and recognised for what they were, outstanding moments that established a new era of dominance, ended the trophy drought and set our club up for future success. He is, without a doubt, a legend that deserves a statue.

Written by: Guest Writer, Craig Morgan