It's My Dream To One Day Play With My Manchester City Star Brother Kolo - Barcelona's Yaya Toure
The Ivorian midfielder is one of the unsung talents of the Barcelona team. And he has been speaking exclusively to goal.com's Ashish Sharma about a potential link-up with his brother.
Meeting and speaking to Yaya Toure is a bit like having a chat with a gentle giant. This tall and powerful 26-year-old central midfielder speaks in one of the softest voices you could imagine.
The sheer power of Toure was amply illustrated in a memorable monet during Barcelona's all-conquering treble season. Receiving the ball in midfield, he stopped and looked about as he considered his options. All the while two opponets were trying to tackle him. Toure simply juggled the ball between his feet as they pestered him feverishly, and in a flash, with his mind made up, he suddenly powered through the pair oif them and fed the ball out to Lionel Messi. It was as though he was playing against kids in the park.
And here in Abu Dhabi in the build up to the Club World Club final the Ivorian is basking in the glory of it all. So is there more pressure on against Estudientes because they are so close to clinching six trophies in a single year?
"Yes, it does add pressure when you think about what it means. It's quite unbelievable, but at the moment it's five trophies and so I prefer to wait until Saturday to think about the sixth."
When considering the way the Catalans played against Atlante one begins to believe that there is something quite unique going on with this club. This cycle of domination that they have is one which seems destined to last for some time. Toure agrees with that sentiment.
"Yes I think so. Last year we played very tough football and this year it has continued. Barca can do this for many years. The formation they have works and when you see players like Bojan and Pedro coming through from the ages of 16 and 17 then this is very positive for the future of the club."
And it seems that Yaya was destined for a career at the Camp Nou. He recalls a conversation he had with his brother Kolo when he was just a young boy.
"I was 11 years old and I saw a game between Barcelona and Madrid. Ronaldo was at Barca then and was running from midfield scoring goals. And i said to my brother: 'Kolo, one day I will play for Barcelona'. And now it's incredible. All my family and my brother and all the people who know me say it's incredible that you said that all those years ago and now it's become a reality."
Yaya Toure may well be at the best club in the world, but the more you talk to him, the more he comes across as a player who who is contemplating a move. The Ivorian is constantly being linked with a move to England. It began with Arsenal, and now it's Manchester City, where his brother Kolo is currently plying his trade. So how does he respond to those rumours?
"I am very happy because these are big teams. Arsenal I have a lot of respect for. The project of Manchester City is very nice. They have some big players. Adebayor, Tevez, my brother is also there and he has a lot of ambition. Right now I am quiet about that because I want to see what they will do. For me the most important thing is to play every day because I need to play, because I am a young player. I am not old."
And this is the reason why Yaya moving on is not so difficult to imagine. He could walk into most top sides in Europe, but at a club that boasts the likes of Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets and Keita, he accepts that he has to bide his team and take whatever chances come his way. And this season a combination of injuries and the form of midfield pairing Busquets and Keita has restricted his first team appearances. It's clearly a big frustration.
I offer him a choice: You can have every single game for a top side that is not Barcelona, or you can play every so often for the best team in the world?
"Yeah, well sure, if you play every match for one team, I mean 100 per cent of the games, it's very important for you as a player. I am a strong person and physically strong as well, so I feel very complete. I can play 25 or 30 games but when I only have five or ten games to play then I am not so happy about that. We have a squad of 25 in which 11 play and the rest don't, and you can't show you are unhappy because when you get angry then you don't show respect for your team-mates...."
Yaya is tempting me too much with his words. I have to ask the question... "Honestly Yaya... Do you want to play with your brother Kolo at Manchester City?" The enigmatic midfielder throws back his head and laughs heartily.
"Yes, I have said this a lot of times before, that it's my dream that one day I want to play in the same team with my brother, but which team and where?" He smiles again. "For me, in my life the most important is God, and after that my family. And my brother is so important to me. He tells me that he wants to play with me. He's not happy for me and my situation right now and he talks to me about that. What I tell him everyday is that I want to play for the best team. Barcelona is very nice and the best team, but we don't know about tomorrow."
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