OUT WITH A BANG
Yaya waves goodbye to City after achieving his main ambition.. helping the noisy neighbours knock United off their perch
YAYA TOURE says goodbye to Manchester City tonight, claiming he has achieved his mission of knocking their local rivals off their perch.
Toure said that ending Manchester United’s domestic dominance and helping City emerge from the shadow of their huge success was his proudest moment.
After 315 games and 82 goals, three Premier League titles, two League Cups and one FA Cup, Toure brings the curtain down on his City career against Brighton.
The midfielder will lead out the Blues on his farewell appearance, with United still in the shadow of the so-called “noisy neighbours”.
Asked if overhauling United was his biggest achievement at City, Toure, who joined from Barcelona for £24million in 2010, said: “To be honest, yes. That’s true. When I came to City, for them to be a big club, we had to put United in the shadow.
“They had so many trophies and Champions League finals, so that was the purpose – although we knew it would be difficult.”
He identified City’s 1-0 FA Cup semi-final win over United at Wembley in 2011 as a defining moment in their emergence as a major force.
Toure, who turns 35 on Sunday, scored the winner that day and repeated the feat in the final against Stoke, landing City’s first major trophy for 35 years.
But he said: “The FA Cup semi-final was a big part of it. When I scored that goal, it was a message – they knew City were coming.
“They had such confidence in that game and thought they were going to beat us.
“They missed big chances and, at half-time, we were nearly fighting in the dressing-room.
“But we had a chat and you saw a different City in the second-half. It was brilliant.”
Despite his heroics on the pitch, Toure has also been a controversial figure – not helped by his agent Dimitry Seluk shooting his mouth off.
In 2014, Seluk accused City of “disrespect” by not giving the Ivorian a cake to mark his 31st birthday.
Seluk’s running feud with Pep Guardiola also saw Toure exiled from City’s first-team last season – until an apology was received.
“The way I behaved during those difficult two years, I was behaving like a proper person,” said Toure.
“My step-father [Seluk] is crazy
sometimes. He’s the type of guy who, I sometimes think, ‘Just leave him alone’ because sometimes you say things you don’t want to say and, after that, you regret it. “People have been talking about me, but I don’t care. People can say what they want. That’s OK. They have their opinion.” However, Toure claims his legacy at City proves he is not a mercenary who came only for the money – £220,000 a week at one stage – but someone who wanted titles and success. “Some said I came here not to win trophies, but was more impressed by the money,” added Toure.
“But, after we won the FA Cup, some started to be more impressed and said, ‘This guy is the real deal’ – and that’s what I’m proud of.”
Toure, who scored 24 goals from midfield in City’s title winning season of 213-14, said he gave everything in the pursuit of success, but felt he was never given the respect he deserved.
“I think when I’m retired from football, I’ll have more respect,” he said.
“People don’t know how dedicated I was.
“This football club was my first wife, to be honest. Even my wife knew it. She sometimes thought I was seeing different girls!
“But she was thinking that because I was going home and just watching the games on my computer.”
City boss Guardiola paid tribute to Toure’s impact at the club and said: “He will start against Brighton. We’re already champions and it’s the final game for him.
“He’s going to play in his position, we’ll try to win the game and finish the season in a good way. That’s the deal.
“It’s his last game at home, so we’ll try to play for him and win for him. People sometimes don’t know, but what makes the clubs greater and bigger are the players – and Yaya is one of them.”
Guardiola, who has one year left on his contract, is poised to sign an extension, but was tight-lipped on when he will put pen to paper.
“I have one more year and next year, I will be here,” he said.
“Now it’s time to finish well and then talk about what we have to do next season, who stays and who we have to buy.
“One more year is a lot and we’ll talk to the club.”