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Goal.com 50: Yaya Toure (41)
Our definitive countdown of the best players of 2010-11 continues with the Manchester City midfielder, who fired Roberto Mancini's men to FA Cup glory
30 Jul 2011 11:17:00
By Max De Luca
Getty Images
Welcome to the Goal.com 50! In this special series, Goal.com editors worldwide vote for the top 50 players of 2010-11. We count down to the announcement of the winner on August 14 with profiles of each and every player who made it into the top 50...
Eyebrows were raised when Manchester City paid €30 million (£26.3m) to lure Yaya Toure from Barcelona last summer, but the Ivory Coast international has justified his hefty price tag with a plethora of scintillating performances for the Premier League outfit.
The 28-year-old joined forces with his elder brother Kolo at Eastlands, and blossomed into a bona fide star, scoring eight goals and providing four assists in the new attacking midfield role handed to him by manager Roberto Mancini.
His penchant for popping up to score timely goals has endeared him to the City faithful, as he almost single-handedly spearheaded the club's triumphant run in the FA Cup, netting the winner in consecutive matches against Manchester United and Stoke City at Wembley.
Mancini's outfit were under heavy pressure to deliver the goods in 2010-11 as the club splashed the cash in the summer and winter transfer windows. A top-four finish was the major objective and nothing less would be tolerated by the club's hierarchy. Toure responded by putting together the finest season of his career, playing an integral role in helping City qualify for the Champions League.
He was the club's second-highest scorer behind Carlos Tevez and was a herculean presence in the midfield, making 35 Premier League starts.
Toure's hunger to win the ball and start lightning-fast counterattacks proved invaluable to the team's cause, while his ability to push forward without shirking his defensive responsibilities made him a favourite with his coach.
His knack of scoring big goals was never more evident than in the club's successful run in the FA Cup. He scored the only goal of the game against arch-rivals Manchester United in the semi-final, robbing Michael Carrick of possession before sliding the ball past Edwin van der Sar.
He then grabbed the winner against Stoke in the final at Wembley with a ferocious blast in the 74th minute that ended City's 35-year trophy drought.
The Eastlands outfit achieved two of their major objectives thanks to the emergence of Toure. His heroics along with the stellar displays of Tevez and Vincent Kompany made it a campaign to remember for the Manchester City faithful.
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Eyebrows were raised when Manchester City paid €30 million (£26.3m) to lure Yaya Toure from Barcelona last summer, but the Ivory Coast international has justified his hefty price tag with a plethora of scintillating performances for the Premier League outfit.
The 28-year-old joined forces with his elder brother Kolo at Eastlands, and blossomed into a bona fide star, scoring eight goals and providing four assists in the new attacking midfield role handed to him by manager Roberto Mancini.
His penchant for popping up to score timely goals has endeared him to the City faithful, as he almost single-handedly spearheaded the club's triumphant run in the FA Cup, netting the winner in consecutive matches against Manchester United and Stoke City at Wembley.
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"Huge goals, huge player. He cost a lot and I imagine he's paid a lot, but he's come up with the goods so no-one can question him." Team-mate Joe Hart
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Mancini's outfit were under heavy pressure to deliver the goods in 2010-11 as the club splashed the cash in the summer and winter transfer windows. A top-four finish was the major objective and nothing less would be tolerated by the club's hierarchy. Toure responded by putting together the finest season of his career, playing an integral role in helping City qualify for the Champions League.
| MOMENT OF THE SEASON |
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| FA CUP FINAL: MANCHESTER CITY 1-0 STOKE |
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| Toure was a tower of strength in the second-half and scored the only goal of the game to lift City past Stoke in the FA Cup final at Wembley. |
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He was the club's second-highest scorer behind Carlos Tevez and was a herculean presence in the midfield, making 35 Premier League starts.
Toure's hunger to win the ball and start lightning-fast counterattacks proved invaluable to the team's cause, while his ability to push forward without shirking his defensive responsibilities made him a favourite with his coach.
His knack of scoring big goals was never more evident than in the club's successful run in the FA Cup. He scored the only goal of the game against arch-rivals Manchester United in the semi-final, robbing Michael Carrick of possession before sliding the ball past Edwin van der Sar.
He then grabbed the winner against Stoke in the final at Wembley with a ferocious blast in the 74th minute that ended City's 35-year trophy drought.
The Eastlands outfit achieved two of their major objectives thanks to the emergence of Toure. His heroics along with the stellar displays of Tevez and Vincent Kompany made it a campaign to remember for the Manchester City faithful.
| "His penchant for popping up to score timely goals endeared himself to the City faithful as he almost single-handedly spearheaded the club's triumphant run in the FA Cup." |
Toure was recently named the top earning African footballer by Forbes magazine with his €9.3m (£8.15m) annual salary, edging out esteemed players such as Samuel Eto'o and Didier Drogba, and City hope that their midfield general will be able to lead the club to even greater heights in the upcoming season.
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