Yaya Toure

[M.L. King]

Name: Gnégnéri Yaya Touré
Position: midfielder
Place of birth: Sokoura Bouake (Ivory Coast)
Date: 13-5-1983
Height: 191 cm
Weight: 90 kg

Touré Yaya (Sokoura Baouke, 13-05-1983) has had a remarkable route to Camp Nou. At 18 he began his time in European football in Belgium with Beveren, where he spent two-and-a-half years.

A transfer to Metalurg Donetsk in Ukraine followed in 2003, where he spent 18 months before opting to move on to Greece and join Olympiakos. During his year in the Piraeus-based club he played alongside former Blaugrana stars, Rivaldo, Haruna Babangida and Dani García as the team progressed in the Champions League.

Last summer, Touré was on the move once again as he signed for AS Monaco and went onto play 27 of the team's 34 league games during the 2006-07 campaign.

At international level, the 24-year-old is a regular in the Ivory Coast side and represented his country in their first ever appearance in the World Cup Finals last summer in Germany. He also appeared in the African Cup of Nations in the same year.
(fcbarcelona.com)

 

[Barcaman]

Re: Touré Yaya

Juve link popped up recently (due to the rotations?) but Toure dismissed it.

 

[barSELOna]

Re: Touré Yaya

He is the one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.

 

[M.L. King]

Re: Touré Yaya

Juve link popped up recently (due to the rotations?) but Toure dismissed it.

I can in no way see Keita and Busquets in front of Yaya; ok maybe if you want to fasten the pace of the game but to bring in stability there is no player better than Yaya. He may not be that fast but he has an ability to hold the ball and his play making skills are not bad as well. Yaya is one of my favorite player in Barca but he just hasn't found his true form yet (and we cannot wait for it any longer).

 

[barSELOna]

Re: Touré Yaya

He was so good this night too.He should be in the first 11 everytime.He stoped a lot of balls this night.Everyteam wants a player like Yaya .

 

[Barcaman]

Re: Touré Yaya

Still, I think he was slow. But he had a solid game. That yellow card he got was uncalled for. Ref made a mistake

 

[barSELOna]

Re: Touré Yaya

Bojan, anyway if he had been faster he would has come to us so expensive price.? say that he is slow but he is really playing solid and that enough for us now

 

[M.L. King]

Re: Touré Yaya

Still, I think he was slow. But he had a solid game. That yellow card he got was uncalled for. Ref made a mistake

He is not slower than Xavi, I reckon. But did you see some of his passes, ok, he made a mistake in the first half. But other than that he was one of the top players.

 

[Bardh]

Re: 24 - Touré Yaya

A superior defender. When you see him challenge in one-on-ones he's clearly way more advantageous than others around him, somehow convinces you that he can't lose the ball. Now he has started to make some good forward passes too as well as nice chips. One of the best DMs in the world.

 

[Barcaman]

Re: 24 - Touré Yaya

I can`t forget the Davids impact in Franks first season. He wasn`t exactly an DM as he had Cocu behind him, more like a MC but still...
Barca played crap until we got Davids in the winter break and then we managed to rise from mid-table and challenge for the title. How he changed our game was amazing.

 

[Barcaman]

Re: 24 - Touré Yaya

Toure won`t be playing for Ivory Coast this weekend as a result of a knock he received in Recre game. He`ll be back in training in few days though

 

[M.L. King]

Re: 24 - Touré Yaya

I'm glad he's staying at home. In this way he can get fully prepared for the Getafe match.

 

[M.L. King]

Re: 24 - Touré Yaya

His long passes are one of the best I have ever seen.

 

[barSELOna]

Re: 24 - Touré Yaya

Yaya is just bulky !

 

[M.L. King]

Re: 24 - Touré Yaya

But what is the point then to have a player who is small and thin. There are no more players like Davids these days. Maybe Gattuso and some others. Yaya is one of the best in his profession.