Yaya Touré Height, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

                   Some Lesser Known Facts About Yaya Touré

• Touré started playing football in the streets during his childhood without boots. He got his first football boots at the age of 10.
  

  Yaya Toure (centre) playing football barefoot during childhood

• During his early teenage years, he also worked as a shoe shiner to earn money for his family. He sometimes ate only one meal per day.

• In 1996, Touré joined the ASEC Mimosas youth academy on the recommendation of his long-time mentor Patrick van Reijendam.
  

  Yaya Toure (left) during his teenage years

• In 2003, then-Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, wanted to sign Toure; however, Toure could not get a work permit.

• Toure signed with Ukrainian club Metalurh Donetsk in December 2003 for 2 million euros.

• He played for Ivory Coast in six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2015. They emerged as runner-ups twice in 2006 and 2012 and won the tournament in 2015.
  

  Yaya Toure (left) after winning the African Cup

• He represented Ivory Coast in the 2006, 2010, and 2014 FIFA World Cups.

• Barcelona acquired him for €10 million (£6.7 million) in 2007. He made his debut for the club on 26 August 2007 against Racing de Santander during the 2007–08 La Liga season.
  

  Yaya Toure playing for Barcelona

• He was a member of Barcelona which won the 2008-2009 UEFA Champions League.
  

  Yaya Toure with different trophies, won when he played in Barcelona

• Touré signed a five-year contract with Premier League club Manchester City for a fee of £24 million on 2 July 2010. He was a member of the City’s squad which won the Premier League titles in the 2011–2012, 2013–2014, and 2017–2018 seasons.
  

  Yaya Toure when he played for Manchester City

• He is a devoted Muslim and after being named ‘Man of the Match’ against Newcastle United in 2012, Touré turned down the English tradition of champagne as per his religious beliefs due to which a non-alcoholic champagne was introduced for Muslim players in the Premier League.

• Touré became a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in October 2013 by joining a campaign against elephant poaching.
  

  Yaya Toure with an elephant

• He and his elder brother, Kolo Touré, have played together for English Club Manchester City for 3 years from 2010 to 2013.

• After the retirement of Didier Drogba, he became the captain of Ivory Coast in 2014. On 19 November 2014, he played his 100th international match.
  

  Yaya Toure with Didier Drogba (left)

• In January 2016, Yaya Toure did not win the 2015 African Player of the Year Award (which would have been his straight 5th award) as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) gave the award to Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

• In an interview to French Radio RFI later, he claimed that CAF’s decision was pathetic, indecent, and brought shame to Africa. He alleged that African authorities did not pay any attention to the things happening in Africa.

• He retired from international football on 20 September 2016 but made a comeback in March 2018. He retired from all forms of football on 1 January 2020.

• In 2017, he launched the Yaya Toure Young Leaders program to identify football talent among African children.

• In September 2020, he was set to feature in a charity match for UNICEF but was later removed after sharing an adult joke in a WhatsApp group and offering to hire 19 sex workers for his teammates.

• From February 2021 to May 2021, he worked as an assistant manager at the Ukrainian Premier League club Olimpik Donetsk.
  

  Yaya Toure (right) after becoming assistant coach of Olimpik Donetsk

• The Russian Premier League club Akhmat Grozny appointed him as an assistant coach on 14 June 2021 till June 2022 but he left the club on 13 December 2021.

• In August 2022, he became an under-16 coach at Tottenham Hotspur’s Academy. In June 2023, he was appointed as an assistant manager of the Belgian club Standard Liège.

• On 3 November 2023, Touré became the assistant coach of the Saudi Arabia national team, where he served as a junior to Roberto Mancini.
  

  Yaya Toure (left) and Robert Mancini (right) after becoming assistant coach of Saudi Arabia national team

• He has been referred to as a ‘human train’ and a ‘colossus’ for his pace, stamina and physical presence. He has also been praised for his passing range, vision, and tackling ability.

• He had an unusual method of striking the ball, known as ‘Yaya’ in which he strikes the ball with a far back area of the foot close to the heel, which allows the ball to move in a straight line which a goalkeeper can find hard to read.

• Touré has faced many racial statements on the ground mostly when he was playing in Portugal and Moscow.

• During his youth career, he used to play as a striker. During his senior career, he has played as a centre-back; however, he has spent most of his career as a box-to-box midfielder for club and country, where he has been regarded as one of the world’s best players.

• He liked to study football as a subject and once revealed that he had a notebook in which he used to write the details, plans, and strategies of football.

• He has also appeared on many football talk shows and as a commentator during matches.

• He often expresses pride over his African roots and culture and has said on many occasions that he wanted equality for African players in international sports.
  

  Yaya Toure in Africa

• He knows many languages including French, Greek, Catalan, Greek, and English.

• He likes watching horror films whenever he gets time.

• Here are the statistics of Toure’s club career:

• Here are the statistics of Toure’s international career: