“I thought of myself as a sacrifice” - Yaya Toure opens up on how he was asked to play centre-back by Barcelona in Champions League final
Former Manchester City and Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure has opened up on being asked to play center-back for the Catalan club in the 2009 UEFA Champions League final. The Ivorian was one of the best midfielders of his time but had to slot in deeper than usual for Blaugrana when they faced Manchester United.
In a recent discussion with former Red Devils defender Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand Presents, Toure said:
“Of course, I had the courage [to play centre-back in the Champions League final against United], but to tell you the truth, I was really scared. First of all, it was the final. Secondly, we were playing against a great team and third, it was my first ever time playing at centre-back."
“I remember the meeting before the game. Samuel Eto’o touched my knee and said, ‘don’t play there, it’s impossible’. The coach asked me whether I can do it because I was physically strong and I had the strength and pace to play there. Then I visualised myself against Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney and I thought of myself as a sacrifice. All my career I’ve played in a lot of positions, no.10, no.8, no.6 - all different roles. So this was quite a big risk."
The former Barcelona star concluded, reminiscing about the game, saying:
“If mistakes came from me and we had lost that game, it would have stayed on my mind. Luckily for us, Scholes was not involved and even Darren Fletcher because those players could put the ball in behind me and that would’ve been a problem. I was happy to accept the responsibility that night because in football you always have to help your teammates and I’m comfortable doing it."
Yaya Toure joined Barcelona in 2007 from AS Monaco for a reported €9 million fee. He played 118 games for the Catalan side, scoring six and assisting eight. He helped the team to one UEFA Champions League title, two LaLiga titles, one Copa del Rey, and one Spanish Super Cup. He left the club in 2010 to join Manchester City for a reported €30 million fee.
When Yaya Toure claimed Pep Guardiola was cruel to him at Barcelona
In a 2018 interview, former Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure claimed that Pep Guardiola was cruel to him and hinted it was because of his African heritage. The pair met in Catalonia and Manchester City but never had a close relationship.
In an interview with France Football's Pascal Ferre, the former Ivory Coast star claimed via Africa News:
“He was cruel with me. Do you really think he could’ve been like that with Iniesta? It got to the point I asked myself if it was because of my color. I’m not the first, other Barça players asked the question too,”
“Maybe us Africans aren’t always treated the same by certain people. When you see the problems he (Pep) has often had with African players, everywhere he has been, I ask myself questions. Pep is too intelligent to be caught. He’ll never admit it (not liking Africans). But the day he picks a team with five Africans in, I promise I will send him a cake!”
Yaya Toure played 9330 minutes across 128 games under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona and Manchester City, scoring 11 times and providing 13 assists. The Catalan tactician has denied claims that he is biased against African players.