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Former Manchester City and Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure has revealed what he was always “thinking” after he moved to Manchester United’s crosstown rivals.
Yaya Toure left Barcelona in 2010 and arrived in England with Manchester City after the Red Devils’ competitors landed him in a transfer deal worth around £24m.
The 42-year-old Ivorian former midfielder had a seminal impact at the Etihad and lifted three Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup with Man City.
Toure had been all too familiar with Manchester United after crossing paths with Sir Alex Ferguson’s men in the 2009 Champions League final with Barcelona.
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Photo by ANDREW YATES/AFP via Getty Images Yaya Toure admitted that he wanted a Man Utd transfer even after signing for Man City
Yaya Toure is regarded as one of the best Premier League midfielders in history after his key influence for Manchester City in the previous decade at the Etihad.
The former Ivory Coast international netted 82 times and registered 45 assists in 316 matches for Man City before he left the Premier League club in 2018.
Speaking on The High Performance Podcast, Toure explained that he was convinced he would end up playing for Manchester United under the iconic Sir Alex Ferguson.
The ex-Barcelona and City star even claimed that the feeling of not signing for United carried over with him during his early period with the Red Devils’ rivals.
“Even when I signed to Man City, I was thinking still I was going to United,” he said.
“It was incredible, because for me, at that period, Barcelona and United, I’m not saying like they were the same, but that was like where I should go normally.
“But after that, I have to learn more about Man City, right? I have to know more about Man City.”
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Getty Images Why Yaya Toure turned down a move to become a Man Utd player under Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford
Toure lifted two La Liga titles, a Champions League trophy and a Copa del Rey with Barcelona before he was deemed surplus to requirements at the Camp Nou.
Following his move to Man City, the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations winner insisted that playing for the Red Devils was a much bigger challenge for him to face as a player.
“When I was talking about renewing my contract, United asked if I wanted to sign for them,” he said, as per Sky Sports in 2010.
“In football, you don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow. United are a big club, one of the biggest in the world, but I chose City because they have not won anything for a long time.
“It’s a very nice feeling to come in and see everything changing. It’s an interesting challenge for me and I hope everything goes well.”
Toure briefly played for Olympiacos in Greece and Qingdao Huanghai in China after his Man City spell ended before he retired from football in 2019.
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