Football Daily - Yaya Touré - The Football Interview

Episode Date: January 10, 2026

In this week’s edition of the Football Interview, Kelly Somers speaks to former Manchester City, Barcelona and Côte d'Ivoire midfielder Yaya Touré, who talks about leaving Africa as a 17-year-old to pursue his football career in Europe, the sibling rivalry with his brother Kolo and why he took up coaching.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. The Dakar Rally is the ultimate off-road challenge. Perfect for the ultimate defender. The high-performance defender, Octa, 626 horsepower twin turbo V8 engine and intelligent 6D dynamics air suspension. Learn more at landrover.ca. I'm Kelly Summers, and this season I'll be interviewing some of the biggest names in football, asking them the questions

they don't normally get asked, as I try to find out more about the person behind the player. The first half will be on football, the second on their life away from the pitch. This isn't just any interview, this is the football interview. And today I'm joined by the former Manchester City and Barcelona midfielder, Yoia Toray. Well, Yo-Yo, it's really good to see you again. Football has been such a big part of your life, I'm sure, from playing to now being a coach as well. What does it mean to you, football? Well, I think FOMO gave me a lot of joy.

And as well, I share those joy with some of the fans who appreciate me and appreciate to see me playing the games. Football as well helped me to put my kids on a good side in the life. I don't have a good start of life. And it means a lot for me. It's been a lot for me, to be honest. What's your earliest memory of playing the game? When I was child, my childhood was...

It was joyful, to be honest. Being born and the family of a strong man as a military guys, because my father was from the military, he's been something not really easy to deal with it because he's very strong, to be honest. When you say there he was really strong, what do you mean? Was he strict? You know, the mineral men, they're very strict

in the sense that they want the kids to understand and get the things right, for example, because I remember at some point where when you do a mess in the house is quite direct and quite strong, right? Taddy out. That's it. You know what I mean, Gary, but he's all good, you know, and the sense of the development, my development,

as a person and as a player as well, you know, have this kind of focus, understanding, and going straight forward to the what we want to do is being good. Can you remember the first team that you played for? Yeah, I remember. It was in French, we call it incommunational adjami, because in Ivory Coast, the economic city of Ivory Coast is Abidjan. I born in Bwake.

At my 7 or 8, we leave Bwakee because my father had to do his duty in another city, especially in Abidjan. And I went there and were going to school there with my brothers and friends. In the early days, to be honest, I was not only doing football. I was doing a lot of things, right? Basketball. Taekwendoes. I wanted to try, you know, because I'm a curious person, to be honest, and I was open to everything. And at some point when I started to show myself to different coaches, it was one who was saying like,

yeah, yeah, I would really like to take you to my clubs and just have a try because you look interesting. And I said, no problem, interesting. And that's how I joined Encondoniala, Jamir and Nabidjan. And it was quite fun in the beginning, right, because I was having to deal. with school and part-time playing football as well and it was incredible. You went on to have an incredible career played at some of the world's biggest clubs. Was there any particular coach or person that had a massive influence on making you the player that you were? If I can say that, I think, my family, to be honest, of course you have a life, you have the opposite down, right? And sometimes you have to deal with it in some moment.

We need people close to you to just put his hand on your shoulder and just support you at the right moment. But I think I don't want to forget those people who have been important and my journey as well. For example, when I was in Ukraine or I was in Greece, even in Belgium from the beginning. It was quite challenging at some period because imagine a young guy's coming as a 17, come in Europe, to have to adapt as well with the culture, food and the thing. How big a change was that for you? How tough was that? It was huge for me because I was surprised. For example, imagine see four or five different weather, right?

Because in Africa we have maybe two or one, right? Yeah. It was like, I have to change this clothes today. Tomorrow I have to change another clothes again. And it was like a bit, I don't want to say annoying, but it was quite something normal, you know, just to adapt. What was it like, though, leaving Africa as a youngster when you're clearly quite a proud African as well,

African as well. How was that for you? First of all, it was a joy because I want to get out from that. Not fair enough. I thought you were going to say it was really hard. I was going to miss everyone. No, I wanted that for a long time, to be honest. From the beginning, people, what they don't understand or they don't know about me is that I always been fun of football, right? And when I was young, I was always close to the TV, watching football, especially European football, you know?

And I was watching Paris Saint-German playing Spanish football at that time. And I have my proper idea, right? Like, if I want to be among the best player around the world, that's where I have to be, right? And at 17, people see that maybe a bit weird, but I was really happy to be there. You had particularly incredible times at both Barcelona and Manchester City. What was that period at Manchester City in particular like? I think it's something I'm really proud of, to be honest. In the beginning was quite challenging, right?

The fact that fans, media as well, was a question me more about the income than what I'm going to bring to the clubs. People as well will be sceptical about my arrival at Man City because I was thinking it was not the right move to do. And I feel so delighted is that I make them wrong, right? The fact that I deliver what I should deliver. That's what I'm proud of. My second year in Barcelona, I arrive at and we make such of six-throphy in one year. I'll never forget that the final I've been playing in the different position. I know it was quite risky because some of my teammates was talking to me before the games,

I was going to play United and there's going to be Cristiano Ronaldo is going to be United, it's going to be Rune coming to you. And I was like, yeah, I want to embrace the challenge, no problem. But inside me I was quite a bit worried, you know, because as a older midfielder, it's fine. But defender, you know, any mistake, you know, any mistake, It can cost you a lot and can stay in your brain for long. But what I'm the most proud of is support, help the city to start the journey, right? To be one at elite club in England now is something I'm really proud of.

When did the coaching journey begin then? To be honest with you Kelly is I was sat at home and watching TV, for example, and I feel it would be annoying, right? I didn't take that seriously in the moment because I want to have this kind of freedom, just relax because my body was hurt of a lot of, you know, a lot of difficult moment about games, about injuries, as you can imagine. And I want to have that time of period of being myself and relax and doing nothing for maybe one or two, three months. If that was my plan on the beginning. What changed? What happened? After maybe two, three days, I start to be annoying. Is that what your family told you?

Yeah, start to be annoying. I start to walk around by myself, turning around, watching games, all the games I was prompt on it. You missed it, didn't you? Yeah, because I know Premier League is going to be at the time. I know the La Liga is going to start at 8. I know the French League is going to start at 7. I was all the time on the right time watching TV. And I was thinking, like, what am I do?

And after that, I started the journey of thinking about building something suitable for me, you know. And that's how I start to get in the journey of coaching. I started to do all the badges possible. Now I completed it. I've been in Tottenham Academy for some while. I've been in Russia, in Ukraine, and the last one I was in Saudi recently. It was something enjoyable. Difficult my mind, not so easy, but I think I needed to do that, right, to be ready.

Because I hope one day people is going to watch me with my team as a coach. Which coaches that you've played under have particularly influenced you and the manager that you want to be? I think Rikat and Mancini. When I went to Barcelona in the time of Rikert, it was impressive because Rikad was always telling me, Yeah, yeah, I don't want you to go further because you play deep midfieler role. Chavir Nesta in front of you, you can't pass them to play the ball in front of them because you're supposed to be behind them. I think you physically, you can give him more to the team.

And I said, okay, but let's see it. And after that, he put me in a game and I was running everywhere. But he saw I was not convinced. What he did at some point, he called me. He wanted to see me face to face, we have a chart, maybe. maybe look some movie, for example. I said, movie, why do you want me to watch? I don't want to watch movie with you.

Gaffa, he said, why you want me to watch? He said, wait. And when everyone was off, we go in his private room and we put the videos and he watched, he showed me all my action during the game we played. I remember against Saragossa. I'd never forget that. He takes his, you have a small book on his hand.

He was like, look, last time I told you that, right? I said, yeah, yeah. But look, that one I tell you to not. Look at that. Look how he looked. From that day, when I left his office, I never talk again, ever because he was like something new to me. And he gave me, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I was like, what this guy want for me? All the time he's calling me. Why don't call Puyolos Alves? Why it owes me? I was like, you have something against me, this guy. But at some point he was right, and he showed me that for 45 minutes. Even I was like, shut and sit on there and shocked and like, yeah, yeah. And since that day, my brain changed.

brain change a lot. And the second one was Mancini in the time of dedication and time of passion, you know, the session you give it, how intense you give, how much he's get involved. And sometimes it may be quite a bit strange, you know, when you see a coach grab you and say, you have to do that, do that. And after that, in training, show you some videos and push you to get better and better. That's the two people who impact me a lot, to be honest. You're one of three and your brother Kolo, your careers have kind of been interlinked throughout. What's that been like growing up with that dynamic? I always say that was the best one. I always say that because it was a pity rivalry between me and him. But at some point

I felt he gets to the point that he knows I was better in some part of the games than him. I think him physically was better because that's all this kind of coming down from my father as well, right? because it was very focused, dedicated, and he always had that discipline, right? For me, at some point, I tried to run away from it, but I cannot because he was always close to me and shout to him. But me and Kolo would always be that type of thing. And at some point Kolo realized that it was a bit better. But he was not frustrated because he wanted to push that boundary very far, right? Who's going to be the best and who was going to try?

more and at some point I get I get better. Poor Kolo, we need to be close to two of you. Yeah, some point, some point to be honest, because life at the end of the day, at some point get it where each one of you have to go in your own way, right? And I really understand that and I respect that, to be honest. How would your friends and family describe you?

Funny guy, to be honest, but yeah, but I think, I think people maybe think I have a lot of friends around me at some point. But to tell you, Kelly, I'm the type of guys who are very reserved, very private, to be honest. We maybe don't see a lot of people around me, by example. I'm very... The people you're going to see around me is the close one, right? You're going to see a small group of people around me. Because at my point of view, I don't believe in fact to have a lot of people.

people around you is going to help you a lot, especially in the football career, because it's so demanding and you have so many sacrifices have to be made. And if you're very disciplining, discipline as I said, my father teach me and my brother about that. You can have a success, right? But if you'll be, you know, too much on it or too much of enjoyment, I think it's going to be difficult for you to make it, right, at some point. And that's what I believe and that's why I stick with it for almost all my kind of

If you can say that. If you can only achieve one more thing in your life, what would it be? I think, and I believe I'm never going to stop because I belong to one thing, to be honest. Going further and further and far as possible. As a coach, maybe, yeah. At some point, winning trophies with my team, bring joys to the players and bring joys as well to the people who have been support me for quite a while, to be honest. What type of team is a Yau Yard Touré team going to look like?

people will be very, very excited. Even me, I can't wait to this, Sida. I hope it's going to, at some point it's going to happen. I'm very positive and I'm really looking forward if it was going to happen again. I'm looking forward to seeing a Yaya Touré team when you do take over. Thank you so much.

Mishallah, thank you very much for your time today. Thank you very much, thank you very much. From a small village on the banks of the River Nile. Everybody called me Mohammed, but, you know, short name or nickname, they call me a mo. To the biggest stages of world football. He goes for the killer. Sala is more than just a player.

He's an icon, a symbol, a king. Muhammad Sala represents a dream for Egyptians, for Muslims, for Africans. More than just a football player, he gave us hope. I'm Kelly Kate. This is Sporting Giants, Mo Sala. Listen on BBC Sounds.