Yaya Toure reveals 'bitter rivalry' with brother Kolo as Man City legend claims he was 'better' than former Arsenal defender

The Toures are two of the most beloved players to ever grace the English game, so much so that they are the subject of a popular chant which is not only belted out at football matches across the country, but remains a key fixture at darts tournaments as well.

Following a trophy-laden, three-year period with Spanish giants Barcelona, Yaya sought pastures new by joining City in 2010. And in a remarkable eight-season spell at the Etihad Stadium, he went on to become one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history, scoring 62 goals in 230 top-flight appearances.

In his greatest individual campaign at City, Yaya scored 20 goals in 35 league games as the club lifted the 2013-14 Premier League title under Manuel Pellegrini’s stewardship. He won six other honours in Manchester, scoring the winner in the 2010-11 FA Cup final against Stoke City at Wembley Stadium.

Meanwhile, older brother Kolo also enjoyed incredible success during his playing days in England. Upon his arrival from Ivorian side ASEC Mimosas in 2002, the centre-back was part of the legendary Arsenal side that won the 2003-04 Premier League title unbeaten under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger.

He went on to claim four more honours with Arsenal, including two FA Cups, before moving to City in 2009. Winning the 2010-11 Premier League alongside Yaya under Roberto Mancini’s guidance, Kolo then joined Liverpool on a free transfer in 2013.

Spending three seasons at Anfield, Kolo helped Liverpool reach the League Cup and Europa League finals in the 2015-16 season, with the Reds - then managed by Jurgen Klopp - losing both to Yaya’s City and Sevilla respectively.

Kolo then spent a year with Scottish heavyweights Celtic before retiring in 2017, whereas after departing City in 2018, Yaya took in brief spells with Greek side Olympiacos and Chinese outfit Qingdao FC before hanging up his boots in 2019.

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In an interview with the BBC, after cheekily admitting he has always thought he was “the best one” out of the pair, Yaya - who is now an assistant coach for the Saudi Arabia national team - said: “I always say that [I was the best] because it was a bitter rivalry between me and him.

“But at some point I felt it got to the point that he knew I was better in some parts of the game than him.

“I think he, physically, was better because that’s all this kind of coming down from my father as well, right? Because he was very focused, dedicated, and you know, he always had that discipline, right?

“Well, me and Kolo, we’ve always been that type of thing (dedicated), but at some point Kolo realised that I was like… a bit better, but he was not frustrated because he wanted to push that boundary very far, right? 

“Like, who’s going to be the best and who’s going to achieve more and at some point I got better.”

Now an assistant to City manager Pep Guardiola, Kolo will be hoping his side can maintain their incredible run of form when they entertain struggling West Ham in the league on Saturday afternoon. The 10-time champions are currently on a six-match winning streak in all competitions.

Previewing the game against West Ham, Guardiola told a pre-match press conference on Friday: “I said before one month ago, even when the results were not good, [that the vibes were really good]. 

“Many things are positive, the way we play we are not at the level required to win title [right now] but the margin is there to improve and that is nice. We can do better. I think we got results but there are a lot of things we need to do better.”