• Pep Guardiola's Manchester City overcame the Yaya Toure curse to win the Champions League.

• Yaya Toure's legacy as a Manchester City legend is cemented by his on-field brilliance.

• Toure played a pivotal role in Manchester City's rise to dominance, winning multiple titles.

After years of being agonizingly close to winning the Champions League, Pep Guardiola and his men finally went on to become European Champions. Every time the club ended up crashing out of the Champions League in previous, the popular meme would resurface about the Yaya Toure curse. The meme is based on the claims made by the player's agent that the player put an African curse on Guardiola for his treatment of African players, and he would never win a Champions League title with the Citizens. The curse hasn't obviously ended up working, but there is no confirmation as well if those claims were ever true or false.

The sad part is the player is mostly known for this matter among modern football fans over the past few years, rather than his magnificent abilities as a player. This article will however be looking at how brilliant Yaya Toure was as a player, and how he went on to establish himself as one of the greatest legends in Manchester City history.

The debut season

Yaya Toure was signed by Manchester City from Barcelona for a fee of around £24 million on 2nd July 2010. His first season with the Citizens saw him form a midfield trio with Gareth Barry and Nigel De Jing. The player was also given more attacking freedom under then Roberto Mancini. All of this resulted in the Ivorian player coming up with strong performances for City and scoring crucial goals. His most notable goal that season was during the FA Cup semi-final vs Manchester United, as his goal saw the Citizens defeat United 1-0. Manchester City ended that season as the 2011 FA Cup winners, as their 1-0 win over Stoke City ended their 35 year wait for a major trophy.

Further success with the Citizens

The FA Cup victory was just the beginning for Yaya Toure and Manchester City, as they went on to achieve even bigger success in the following season. The 2011–12  Premier League season saw Manchester City sit at the top for majority of the season, and Yaya Toure was an instrumental part of the side's success at the time. However, the Citizens lost their momentum towards the season end and an eight-point deficit had been established between City and leaders United. Manchester United were now firm favorites to win the league.

What followed was an upturn in form, as City went on to win their following matches and United began to drop points. The Manchester derby happened around this time, and City won the match thanks to a Vincent Kompany headed goal just before half-time. Yaya Toure's performance in particular was praised for this match, with several personalities in the media terming his performance as magnificent.

The final match of that season had Manchester City face QPR, in a match that is sure to live eternally in football history. City made a legendary comeback in the very end, with Sergio Aguero scoring the unforgettable winner that saw City win the match 3-2 and become Premier League champions after 44 years. Yaya Toure only played the first half in that match before coming off due to injury, but it was the Ivorian who assisted Pablo Zabaleta's opening goal for the Citizens in that match.

The period of individual brilliance

The period from 2012 till 2014 saw the very best of Yaya Toure in a Manchester City shirt, as he went on to become one of the best midfielders in the world at the time. He went on win several titles with City during this period, including the Community Shield and League Cup. Yaya Toure was nothing short of sensational in the 2013-2014 season, as he played a major role in winning City's 2nd league title in 3 years. Toure scored 20 goals in that season despite being a midfielder, a feat only achieved by Chelsea legend Frank Lampard till then.

The downfall

Just like most players, Toure's influence and playing time in the City squad began to fade. The appointment of Pep Guardiola was a major factor in this as well, as he was omitted from City's Champions League squad by the coach. This led to the player's agent commenting against the City coach, which made matters worse. Toure was only brought back to the squad later after a public apology on behalf of his coach. It was announced on 4 May 2018 that Touré would leave Manchester City at the end of the 2017–18 season. His final appearance came in the 3–1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

Yaya Toure might've left the club on a sour note, but his brilliant performances and immense contributions for turning Manchester City into one of the biggest teams in European football will never be forgotten by the club and its fans.

Yaya Toure Manchester City Stats:

FAQ

Did Pep Guardiola break the Yaya Toure curse to win the Champions League? 

Yes, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City won the Champions League, overcoming the supposed Yaya Toure curse that claimed he would never achieve this title with the club.