Yaya Touré has left his mark on the history of African soccer, winning the CAF Golden Ball four times. African champion with Côte d’Ivoire in 2015, the legendary Manchester City midfielder is cited as one of the greatest African footballers of all time. But the former captain of the Elephants admits that Jay Jay Okocha is the most intelligent African footballer he has ever seen.
Yaya Touré has not only made history in African soccer, but also in world soccer. Having won everything with FC Barcelona in the record-breaking 2008/2009 season, Yaya Touré has now moved on to Manchester City to make more footballing history.
As captain, he also helped Côte d’Ivoire win the 2015 African Cup of Nations, the country’s second star. Clearly, Yaya Touré was an excellent footballer. After his retirement, the Ivorian embarked on a coaching career and is now assistant coach of Saudi Arabia. Currently in the Holy Land, the Manchester City legend reminisced about Jay Jay Okocha, the Nigerian magician who gets the crowd on their feet with technical tricks from elsewhere.
Okocha, the most intelligent African footballer according to Yaya Touré
A few days ago, Yaya Touré gave a Q&A interview to Goal. In it, the Saudi Arabia assistant coach put Andrès Iniesta above Ronaldinho and Messi as the most intelligent footballer he has ever known.
However, Goal asked Yaya Touré to do the same for African soccer. The Ivory Coast legend didn’t hesitate at all. For him, Jay Jay Okocha is the African equivalent of Andrés Iniesta. He’s ahead of everyone else and sees what no one else sees on a soccer pitch. “The smartest African player I’ve ever known? I’d have to say Jay Jay Okocha. I love Jay Jay Okocha back in the day, yes,” he blurted out without a second thought.
Drogba, Eto’o, Baki Koné, Yaya Touré slice
Yaya Touré was also asked to name the African player with the best right foot, the best left foot and the fastest. The former Ivorian international, who played for Monaco, chose Samuel Eto’o, considered by many to be the best African footballer of all time, as the African player with the best right foot.
In contrast, he chose his compatriot, Kanga Akalé, as the best African left foot he has ever seen. As for strength, he reaffirms his preference for Didier Drogba, whom he considers a madman. As for the fastest African player, Yaya Touré stays with another Ivorian, Baki Koné.
“For the right foot, I choose Samuel Eto’o. For the left foot, I’m with, Kanga Akalé, very fast. Speed, Baki Kone, very small, but he runs fast. He’s a striker, very fast, explosive in very short spaces. He was very, very explosive. As for strength, I can’t take Drogba back, because in terms of strength, Drogba was like a madman”, he added. he added.
Yaya Touré therefore did not mention Sadio Mané, Riyad Mahrez or Mohamed Salah, opting instead for the African legends of his generation. Perhaps he thinks that the current stars of African soccer are no better than those of his generation.
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