Legendary former Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure has made history as the first African coach to guide a team into the main round of the UEFA Champions League after leading Slovan Bratislava through the qualifying rounds. According to a report by Al Jazeera, the Slovakian champions secured their place in……
Legendary former Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure has made history as the first African coach to guide a team into the main round of the UEFA Champions League after leading Slovan Bratislava through the qualifying rounds.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, the Slovakian champions secured their place in the competition on Wednesday after defeating NK Celje 3-2 on aggregate in their two-legged playoff tie.
Toure, who took charge of Slovan Bratislava in June, has enjoyed an impressive start to his managerial tenure, guiding the club to four league victories while securing their passage into Europe’s premier club competition.
Slovan began their Champions League qualifying campaign in July with a 2-0 victory over Georgian side Saburtalo before a 1-1 draw in the second leg.
They subsequently defeated Sweden’s Mjallby in both legs of the second qualifying round to reach the playoffs, where they overcame Celje over two legs to book their place in the main round.
Following the achievement, Toure was serenaded by supporters with the famous “Yaya Toure” chant associated with his hugely successful playing career at Manchester City.
The 43-year-old retired from professional football in 2019 after an 18-year career as a midfielder in some of Europe’s biggest leagues.
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Before joining Manchester City in 2010, Toure played for Barcelona, where he won the Champions League in the 2008-09 season, alongside two La Liga titles, the Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
He went on to win three Premier League titles, one FA Cup and three English League Cups with Manchester City.
Toure is regarded as one of Africa’s most decorated footballers and jointly holds the record for the most African Footballer of the Year awards, winning the prize four consecutive times between 2011 and 2014.
He also helped Ivory Coast win the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015.
Before becoming Slovan Bratislava’s head coach, Toure worked as an assistant manager at several European clubs, including Leyton Orient in England and sides in Belgium.
In 2023, he joined his former Manchester City manager as an assistant coach with the Saudi Arabian national team.
Slovan Bratislava will discover their opponents in the Champions League main round on Thursday when the draw takes place in Madrid.
