Football Daily Yaya Touré - The Football Interview
10 snips
Jan 10, 2026 
Yaya Touré, a legendary midfielder for Barcelona and Manchester City, shares his inspiring journey from a disciplined childhood in the Ivory Coast to European stardom. He details the challenges he faced moving to Europe at 17 and the sibling rivalry with his brother Kolo, highlighting their contrasting strengths. Now pursuing coaching, Yaya describes how the boredom post-retirement sparked his ambition to win trophies as a coach, while crediting mentors like Rijkaard and Mancini for shaping his football understanding.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Early Sporting Life In Abidjan
- Yaya Touré remembers playing multiple sports as a child before focusing on football and joining a local club in Abidjan.
- He balanced school and part-time football while coaches noticed his potential and invited him to join Enconi Soledad, Jami in Abidjan.
Adaptation Built Resilience
- Moving to Europe at 17 forced Yaya to adapt to new cultures, food and multiple weather changes.
- He frames that adaptation as a huge challenge that shaped his resilience as a player.
Eager To Join European Football
- Yaya says leaving Africa at 17 was a joyful, long-awaited step because he wanted to play in Europe's top leagues.
- He watched European football on TV as a boy and knew where he needed to be to become one of the best.