Lionel Messi is undoubtedly one of the most feared players to play against, not only because he could destroy the team in front of him but also because he could embarrass a player with his magic. In a similar case, Yaya Toure has come out to vouch for his fear while facing the Argentine magician and has revealed an anecdote regarding it.
Former Barcelona and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure was a true gem of a footballer and was pivotal to City’s initial success in the early 2010s. Along with his brother Kolo Toure at City, Toure turned the heavily invested City team into a group of winners, winning African Player of the Year four times consecutively, from 2011 to 2014.
Yaya Toure revealed Lionel Messi anecdote
Lionel Messi seems unstoppable even today, at the age of 36, and one can only imagine the havoc he wreaked almost a decade ago, when he was in his prime. Yaya Toure has recalled a memory involving the eighth-time Ballon D’or winner from 2015, when Manchester City faced Barcelona in the Champions League.
Apparently, according to Toure, Messi had threatened him before the match that he would nutmeg the former Ivory Coast midfielder during the game.
Barcelona edged City 1-0, as Messi was actually on a nutmegging spree during the game, getting the ball theatrically through the legs of James Milner and Fernandinho. Yaya Toure was playing for City in that game, and he has revealed that he was afraid Messi was going to do the same to him and embarrass him in front of everyone.
Toure, while talking to BT Sport, stated, “I saw him nutmeg two of my team-mates and thought he’d do it to me. Whenever he came near me I screamed inside ‘please not me, don’t nutmeg me’. I was afraid he’d embarrass me in front of my family.”
Yaya Toure chose his GOAT in Lionel Messi
Yaya Toure was one of the best midfielders during his prime, with legs like machines and a brain like a mastermind. Toure’s understanding of the sport had many people praising him, with his peak coming during City’s initial glory years. Toure played against Ronaldo a couple of times and with Messi for a couple of years while he was at Barcelona.
Yaya Toure, who is currently Saudi Arabia’s assistant coach, has, however, looked towards the MLS rather than his current home’s Pro League to choose his GOAT.
According to Yaya Toure, Lionel Messi is the Greatest of All Time, and has publicly stated it multiple times. While talking to Sky Sports, Toure stated, “I’m a fan of Messi and I think everybody knows what he has achieved in his career and what he can be”
In another instance, during an interview with Rio Ferdinand in FIVE, Toure was quick to answer Messi when asked to choose between the two.
Do you think Yaya Toure gets into the midfield of Manchester City’s all-time XI? Let us know your take on this in the comments.
