Yaya Toure holds the FA Cup after scoring the only goal of the game in Manchester City's 2011 victory over Stoke , and also scored in the semi-final against United (left)
Few would dispute the start of a change of power in Manchester, which can be traced back to that April day at Wembley in 2011 when City expelled United for way to win the FA Cup and the first trophy for 35 years.
However, for Yaya Toure — City's hero that day and in the final against Stoke — it was at Old Trafford six months later, when Sir Alex Ferguson suffered the heaviest defeat of his managerial career, that the momentum really started to change. . toward the blue half of Manchester.
United 1 City 6. Visit the Etihad Stadium on match day and you'll still hear the City fans sing about the game regularly and with pleasure. «You lucky bitch, should have been 10,» the chant goes. Toure still has the original team sheet with the framed score written on it at his home in Côte d'Ivoire. And not just any frame. «It's in United's frame,» he says, laughing.
The score also added resonance because it was only on goal difference that City propelled United to the Premier League title that season — the first of seven to come — on an extraordinary final day that no fan of either club will ever forget. < /p>'You could see the camera on Ferguson's face and it was red'
“I think the biggest surprise for United – the club and their supporters – was the 6-1 win,” Toure says. “After winning the FA Cup semi-final, we believed we could beat them, even at Old Trafford with Ferguson.
“Ferguson is one of the great managers. Old Trafford is the most emblematic stadium in the world. It was like slapping the United fans, even the players in front of Ferguson.
“I remember watching highlights of the game and you could see the camera on Ferguson's face and it was red. . He didn't say anything. You could see it in his eyes. He's like, «Oh.» It was incredible.
“We played much better than in the FA Cup. We won that game 1-0, but we were dominated in the first half. The only chance we had, I scored. But at Old Trafford the 6-1 score was different. It was in their stadium against the best coach in the world and we beat them 6-1. What could be better?»
Touré is currently coaching the Tottenham Under-16 team and dreams of a career as a top manager. He also seems to have made a strong early impression. The parents of those Spurs boys had already come up with his football Yaya Ball, and the infectious enthusiasm that manifests itself during nearly an hour of working together at Telegraph Sport clearly extends to these impressionable minds. Toure's future looks bright.
However, he is now digging into his rich past as a midfielder with a serious position and the prospect of City and United meeting again at Wembley for the first time since that decider. clash 12 years ago, memories came flooding back.
“I think back then we were celebrating more than winning the final,” Toure says. «The feeling was like, 'This is it, now change is coming at Man City.' The fans got it too. Everyone in the city started to understand that.
“Before [this] United fans would ask, 'So what did you do, City? Losers, something like that. After that game, everything changed. We have become more respected.
“I remember when I went to the shops or the supermarket and even the United fans were like, 'Oh my god guys.' The celebration was so important — more than when we ended up beating Stoke, I think, with the greatest respect for them.
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Toure, of course, scored the only goal in both games. In the first half against United, City took advantage of their luck, but seven minutes into the restart, Toure intercepted a pass from Michael Carrick, thundered past Nemanja Vidić and coolly kicked the oncoming Edwin van der Sar under the feet. Power and balance. It was Ivorian in everything. «I think those few seconds against United were sort of a summing up of my Man City career,» he says now.
Against Stoke, he landed an unstoppable penalty kick after the ball ricocheted off Ryan Shawcross and then Mark Wilson in his path. “Only now I feel like I should have celebrated it more,” Touré muses. “At that period, I was still young – I was 28 – and I just felt like it was really a duty. That FA Cup was very important in terms of changing the mentality and culture of the club.»
The final celebrations were something of a bittersweet experience for Toure. He was to be joined by his brother Colo, who was so influential in convincing him to join City from Barcelona in 2010. But the former Arsenal defender was ineligible after he was suspended for failing a drug test and then suspended for six months. “That day at Wembley was a difficult one for the family – it can be divided, if you know what I mean,” Toure explains. “I remember my wife and his wife were happy because the whole family came to the stadium, but there was a bit of regret, but that was part of football. Colo told me: “Look, we are a family — you win, I win. I'm proud to have played a big part in convincing you to move to City and the Premier League.»
The City project came to Touré's attention 12 months before he arrived in England. Rather, at the time, he caught the attention of all Barcelona players, including Lionel Messi, due to Carlos Tevez's decision to leave United for City in 2009. The Champions League semi-final before beating Chelsea in the final, which they lost to the Catalans in the final in Rome a year later.
“When I was at Barcelona – I had a few teammates who were also Argentine, Gabriel Milito, Messi – and everyone was talking about it because Tevez is a great player and what he did at United at the time, it was incredible. Toure says. «So to see one of their talismans walking towards their rival as if it was something — you could see that something had changed.»
What angered Ferguson almost as much as the transfer itself were Tevez's «Welcome to Manchester» billboards that were put up all over the city. This prompted Ferguson to deride City as «a small club with a limited mentality», but even from a distance Touré felt they were hurting United. «You don't talk about someone like that unless you're afraid of him,» Toure says. “When a manager starts talking about other clubs, it means he is scared. You had to be on edge because Tevez was one of the biggest players and to take him away from a big opponent… you can probably understand why Ferguson was upset and p——.”
«Welcome to Manchester» billboards in the city upset United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Photo: Action Images/Carl Recine. Sergio Aguero. He certainly went on to score the most dramatic game-winning goal against Queens Park Rangers in the final seconds of the final day to clinch the club's first top flight title in 44 years and crush United in the process.
Toure was forced off the pitch at half-time due to injury and he never forgot that feeling of total helplessness. “At that moment, I realized how hard it is to be a football fan,” he says. “When you play on the field, you trust your abilities — the fans can't read what's going on in your head. “Why is he so calm and cool when we are still missing moments?” But during that period, I think I lost two or three kilos because I watched it as a fan. When you play, even if you lose 2-1 with 20 minutes left, I feel like I can do it because I can play games with my teammates. But the fans — you are powerless. At that moment, I realized how difficult it was.”
Toure's key role in the rise of City under Abu Dhabi is undeniable. He lived through the eras of Roberto Mancini, Manuel Pellegrini and Pep Guardiola and won league titles under each of them, scoring 79 goals in 316 matches over an eight-year period. However, while other stalwarts such as Kompany, Silva and Aguero have statues in their honor outside of Etihad, Toure does not, due to a troubled relationship with Guardiola. It's not something Toure would like to do but he is purposefully looking forward.
«I love doing what I do at Tottenham and that I can keep giving them but I I feel like I'm looking for a new challenge,” he says. “My desire, ambition and passion are clear. My dream is to be a manager one day. We never know, maybe one day I will face Man City again. I hope it will be a great story.”
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