Toure rewarded with new City contract
LONDON: Ivory Coast legend Yaya Toure signed a new one year contract with Manchester City on Thursday, a reward for sterling performances after returning to favour mid-November.
The 34-year- old midfielder — a four-time African Footballer of the Year — had fallen out with City manager Pep Guardiola but regained his trust and has been retained unlike several other players who like him were out of contract and been allowed to leave.
“I’m delighted,” Toure told the club website.
“I told myself the journey at City is not done and when I received a call from Txiki ( Begiristain the football director) and talked to the manager I was very delighted.
“When I was first coming here (in 2010) I was trying to be part of a new story, of something special at this club.
Toure, who skippered Ivory Coast to their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations triumph over Ghana ending a 23 year drought, added the desire to win more silverware remained as keen as ever.
In his seven years at the club Toure has been part of two Premier League winning sides — scoring 24 goals in the 2013/14 campaign.
He has also played a significant role in their Cup successes, scoring in the 2011 FA Cup win over Stoke and the 2014 League Cup victory over Sunderland as well as a penalty in the shootout win over Liverpool in the 2016 final. — AFP