Yaya Toure is Man City’s greatest player – he should make peace with Pep

A statue of Yaya Toure should be standing outside the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City have commissioned one for Vincent Kompany. So too, Sergio Aguero and David Silva.

Toure's lasting tribute, however, is a plaque at City's training ground, situated on a path that leads to one of the academy pitches.

It shouldn't be like this. Because when the first decade of Sheikh Mansour's reign is being evaluated, the Ivorian midfielder should be remembered as City's greatest-ever player.

Toure might not ever be forgiven for claiming Pep Guardiola is a racist following his departure from the club in 2018. But he should still try to make his peace properly.

“It got to the point I asked myself if it was because of my colour,” said the 37-year-old after claiming the City boss had been cruel to him.

Just a month earlier, he had been given an emotional send-off by team-mates, fans and officials including Guardiola at the Etihad.

“When you see the problems Pep has often had with African players, everywhere he has been, I ask myself questions.”

Guardiola was said to be in utter despair when he heard about Toure's comments.

In the boardroom, it was decided it would be impossible for this colossus of a footballer to ever return to the club in any official capacity.

Earlier this month, as the 10th anniversary of Toure's seismic winning goal against Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final approached, the 37-year-old admitted he made a “huge mistake.”

He's written an apology to Guardiola and City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak – and received no reply.

The problem is that as insults go, calling someone a racist when your grievances have nothing to do with skin colour is as low as it gets.

Toure didn't just tarnish Guardiola's reputation. He also besmirched the club.

Toure has claimed his criticism of Guardiola was not reported accurately. If so, he should have put the record straight three years ago.

He can still do it. It will only take six words: “Pep Guardiola is not a racist.”

Anything else does nothing for his reputation and damages the fight against the kind of racism that Toure himself has faced.

I was in Moscow the night that the reigning African Footballer of the Year was racially abused by CSKA fans.

I agreed to City's request to act on their behalf as a witness when the club had been asked to submit their observations to UEFA.

To see Toure in tears after the game was humbling.

Yaya has to do more than send an emailed apology to the Etihad in the hope that it will be forwarded on to Guardiola and Khaldoon.

He was given a lifetime season ticket by the club during his leaving ceremony. He should use it to pay a visit to the club he graced and try to repair the damage in person.

City fans will never forget that winner against United and the goal against Stoke to clinch the club's first trophy in 35 years.

They will always savour his double at Newcastle in the 2012 title run-in and the pass that set-up Pablo Zabaleta for the first goal of that never-to-be-forgotten game against QPR.

There was the stunning equaliser against Sunderland at his favourite end of Wembley in the 2014 League Cup final and the 20 goals that helped snatch the title away from Liverpool.

And what about the winning penalty to defeat Liverpool in the shoot-out at the end of the 2016 League Cup final?

Yet Toure's impact at City runs much deeper than moments of genius.

I remember speaking to former City chief executive Garry Cook about the most important signing of his time at the club.

It wasn't Kompany, Aguero or Silva. Or even Carlos Tevez or Robinho.

“Yaya Toure became the catalyst for change,” said Cook. “He was different. He came and said, ‘I’m going to make this club great’. He was the one.

“After we signed him, every top player began to see the possibilities.

“Once we signed Yaya, all the others followed. He was like a Pied Piper.”

Source: Read Full Article