Yves Bissouma believes Manchester City once had on their books the greatest footballer ever to hail from Africa.
So many top stars have come and gone at the Etihad Stadium, and fans have been treated to some absolutely quality players over the years.
The 2008 takeover made it possible for the club to sign some exceptional talents, many of whom played important roles in the winning of various titles.
Back in 2010, Manchester City made a game-changing signing that would pave the way for the success we see today.
Just a couple of years after being taken over, City needed a statement addition – and they certainly found one in the form of Yaya Toure…
Yves Bissouma says former Manchester City star Yaya Toure is the greatest African footballer ever
City landed Yaya Toure from Barcelona back in the summer of 2010, with the club paying around £24 million to snap him up.
It was a particularly exciting summer, with David Silva also joining the club from Valencia for similar money.
Two very different players, but two who would propel the club to multiple trophies in the coming years.
Toure quickly established himself as a serious force in the City midfield – a perfect complement to the grace of Silva. Toure was a powerhouse, and was at times unplayable under Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini.
His finest season came in 2013/14, when he scored an incredible 20 goals in the Premier League, with a fourth four coming in the cups.
Recently, Tottenham Hotspur star Yves Bissouma sat down with Sky Sports where he had to write down words he associated with a certain word or phrase.
He was asked for the ‘Greatest African Player Ever’, and without hesitation, the Mali international – who was actually born in the Ivory Coast himself – wrote down Yaya Toure’s name.
He said: “For me, he understands football. He’s complete. Like the way he plays, the way he understands the game. Everything he did on the pitch was greatness, you know. I don’t have to talk much.
“For me, he’s a very, very, very special (player), because he’s a midfielder who can score goals, make assists, defend, he can do everything.”
Toure was incredible and unique
Toure was a truly phenomenal player for Manchester City, and his peak that came a couple of years after joining was just a sight to behold.
In most games from around 2013 to 2015, players just couldn’t get near him in the midfield, with the star combining pace, power and technical ability. As James Ward-Prowse said recently, you ‘just couldn’t get the ball off him’.
Jack Grealish has also said that Toure was one of the toughest players he has ever faced.
Toure could hold in midfield, but he could also go from box to box and even operate as an out-and-out attacking midfielder.
There are a few candidates for the title of Greatest African Footballer of all-time. The likes of Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba, George Weah, Sadio Mane, Mo Salah, Jay Jay Okocha and perhaps even former City winger Riyad Mahrez are all in the conversation.
But there were just so many strings to Yaya Toure’s bow, that it is certainly very difficult to look past him.