Photo Courtesy Yaya Toure Facebook.
Former Barcelona, Manchester City and Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure has officially received his UEFA Pro license which allows him to manage or coach any club or country in the world.
Toure took to his official social media pages to confirm the latest development. “Delighted to share that I’ve now got my UEFA Pro Licence," he wrote.
“I have learned a lot while gaining the coaching qualification and now feel even more excited about what I can achieve as a coach. Thank you to all the tutors at the FA, as well as my close friends and family who have supported me.”
Toure had aspired to be a striker during his youth but ended up playing as a centre-back, including for Barcelona in the 2009 UEFA Champions League final. However, he spent the majority of his career as a box-to-box midfielder for club and country, where he was regarded as one of the world's best players in his position.
One of the greatest African players of all time, Toure was voted African Footballer of the Year for 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. He began his playing career at Ivorian club ASEC Mimosas, where he made his debut at age 18. His performances attracted attention from Europe.
He had stints with Beveren, Metalurh Donetsk, Olympiacos and Monaco before moving to Barcelona in 2007. He played over 100 matches for the club and was part of the historic Barcelona team that won six trophies in a calendar year, in 2009.
In 2010, Toure moved to Premier League club Manchester City, where he scored a number of key goals, most notably the only goals in the 2011 FA Cup semi-final and final and also helped Man City earn their first league title in 44 years.
He earned 100 caps for the Ivory Coast from 2004 to 2015, representing the nation at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup tournaments. Toure represented them in six Africa Cup of Nations in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015, helping them finish runner-up in 2006 and 2012, while captaining them to victory in 2015.
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