Yaya Touré

Early career

Touré was born in Bouaké. He joined the ASEC Mimosas youth academy in 1996 on the recommendation of his long-time mentor Patrick van Reijendam. A prominent figure in the ASEC academy was Jean-Marc Guillou. In 2001, Guillou invested heavily in a Belgian club, Beveren, with the aim of using the team to showcase Ivorian players in a European league. Touré moved to Beveren in 2001, one of many ASEC players to do so in this period. By 2003, he was one of 14 Ivorians in the Beveren squad. In the summer of 2003, Touré had a trial with Arsenal. He started a pre-season friendly against Barnet on 19 July which finished a 0–0 draw. The BBC Sport website said that Touré "blotted his copy book by missing Arsenal's clearest chance of the game, heading a cross from Quincy Owusu-Abeyie wide." Wenger was still keen to sign the then 20-year-old but Touré had difficulties in receiving a work permit. Ultimately, Touré grew impatient and opted to sign for Ukrainian club Metalurh Donetsk in December 2003, where he spent one and a half years.

Olympiacos and Monaco

Touré joined Olympiacos in 2005. He was described as "the new Patrick Vieira" by his older brother. Olympiacos won the double that season, and Touré was one of their key players. His performances in Greece were impressive and attracted interest from many clubs. Touré signed for French Ligue 1 club Monaco in August 2006. However, he had a difficult relationship with the incumbent manager, László Bölöni, with…

Touré was a regular member of the Ivory Coast national team from his debut in 2004 to the end of his international career after 2015. In 2014, he was named captain of the team following the retirement of Didier Drogba. Touré won his 100th international cap in his side's 0–0 draw with Cameroon on 19 November 2014. Touré appeared in all three of Ivory Coast's matches at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In the 2010 tournament, he again played in all three of his nation's games, scoring the opening goal in a 3–0 win over North Korea. Touré made his third and final World Cup tournament appearance during the 2014 competition, and captained the team in their opening match, a 2–1 defeat of Japan. Touré represented the Ivory Coast at six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015; his side ended as runners-up in the 2006 and 2012 editions, and won the tournament in 2015. Touré was named in the CAF's team of the tournament in 2008, 2012 and 2015. On 4 February 2015, Touré scored the opening goal in the Ivory Coast's 3–1 semi-final victory over DR Congo to qualify the team for their third Africa Cup of Nations final in nine years. On 8 February, in the final held at the Estadio de Bata in Equatorial Guinea, Touré captained the Ivory Coast as they won a first AFCON title since 1992, defeating Ghana in a penalty shoot-out. On 20 September 2016, Touré announced his retirement from international football. He returned to the national team set-up in March 2018, but…

Formerly a striker, Touré played primarily in the centre of the pitch as either a holding midfielder or as a box-to-box midfielder, often switching between offensive and defensive stances throughout matches in the latter role. Touré was a complete and versatile midfielder. He was also capable of playing as a centre-back or in the number 10 role. His key strengths were his passing range, vision and physical ability. He was gifted with good technique and ball control, although he also excelled defensively at breaking down opposing attacking plays and winning back possession through his powerful tackling ability. He was known for his pace, stamina and physical presence, which was often combined with runs from midfield, and he had been referred to as a "human train" and a "colossus" by various pundits. Touré was frequently pushed forward during the latter part of matches, including in the penultimate match of the 2011–12 season against Newcastle United where Touré scored two late goals to win the match, and put Manchester City at the top of the league. He was also capable of scoring goals due to his powerful striking ability from distance, and his heading ability, as well as his adeptness at scoring from free kicks and penalties. Jonathan Wilson, when writing for The Guardian in 2013, described Touré as a holding midfielder who can "make tackles," and who was "capable of regaining the ball," while also noting that he frequently functioned "as the more creative player alongside a…

During COVID-19, Touré assisted at Leyton Orient. On 10 February 2021, Touré joined Ukrainian Premier League club Olimpik Donetsk as assistant manager. He left the position after 4 months at the club. On 14 June 2021, Touré was appointed as an assistant coach by Russian Premier League club Akhmat Grozny until June 2022. Touré left the club on 13 December 2021. After a spell coaching part-time, Touré became an under-16 coach at Tottenham Hotspur's academy in August 2022. The following June, he moved to Belgian club Standard Liège as assistant manager. On 3 November 2023, Touré was named as assistant coach of the Saudi Arabia national team, to join the staff of his former manager at Manchester City Roberto Mancini. In June 2026, Touré landed his first managerial job by joining Slovak First Football League side Slovan Bratislava as head coach, signing a three-year contract.