Why Yaya Toure Will Leave Manchester City a Premier League Legend

If Yaya Toure is to leave Manchester City this season, it would bring the curtain down on a wonderful period for both the club and the player.

When former chief executive Garry Cook brought the Ivorian to East Manchester for £24 million back in 2010, City were yet to shake off their tag as underachievers. They were two years into Sheikh Mansour’s ownership, but they had won nothing. City’s squad had improved, but it lacked the spark needed to establish a winning mentality, that world-class player with drive and leadership who could provide match-winning qualities.

Toure’s arrival was the catalyst for a period of huge success. City won the 2011 FA Cup, ending a 35-year wait for a major piece of silverware, before a Premier League triumph 12 months later saw them win their first title in 44 years. Since then, an FA Cup final, another league title and two League Cups have followed. Toure has been central to all of it.

And it isn’t just his goals and big-game credentials that have made the difference. Toure, for the four-year period between 2010 and 2014, was probably the finest midfielder in Europe. Who else could match his unique mix of attributes? Power, pace, the ability to beat players, goals and incredibly accurate passing—he brought so much to the side.

No other player in the City squad can match his big-game record. His winner in the 1-0 win over Manchester United in …

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