Yaya Toure: I deserve more respect as an African

Yaya Toure: I deserve more respect as an African

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure
insists he doesn’t get enough respect from the rest
of the football world because he is African.
Ivory Coast international Toure has won league
titles in England and Spain and is on the six-man
shortlist for the Professional Footballers’
Association’s player of the season award.
But the 30-year-old former Barcelona star echoed
City team-mate Samir Nasri’s claim that only his
birthplace has blocked him from being hailed as one
of the best midfielders in the world.
“I think what Samir was saying was definitely true,”
Toure told BBC Sport.
“To be honest, proper recognition has only come
from the fans. I don’t want to be hard and I don’t
want to be negative, but I want to be honest.”
Toure’s fellow Ivory Coast star Didier Drogba and
Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o have also reached
the top level of European football and Toure has
taken inspiration from the way they have risen to
the top despite humble beginnings.
“Those players are more than legends for me and
Africa,” he said.
“I am very proud to be African, I want to defend
African people and I want to show to the world that
African players can be as good as the Europeans
and South Americans.”
Luis Suarez is a widespread odds-on favourite for
the PFA award, with Liverpool team-mate Steven
Gerrard and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard also ahead of
Toure in the betting.
But the City star said he would “definitely” be
unhappy to miss out, adding: “As a champion, as a
winner, I always want to win.”