'Lucky team' - Ex-Man City talisman Yaya Toure explains why playing Sunderland was always 'special'
The ex-Manchester City midfielder has been speaking about his experiences of playing Sunderland
Former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has claimed that he enjoyed playing against Sunderland during his time in England because he used to score “special” goals against them.
The Ivorian was a constant thorn in the side of the Black Cats while he was on the books at the Etihad Stadium, scoring four goals and assisting two more across 14 appearances. He also helped City to nine wins and a draw in that period, including a victory in the 2014 EFL Cup final at Wembley.
Toure netted a memorable long-range strike in that contest, but during a recent interview with the Premier League, the now-retired talent was asked to reflect on another eye-catching effort during a league fixture in January 2015.
What did Yaya Toure say about playing against Sunderland during his time at Manchester City?
In an honest assessment of his experiences playing against Sunderland, Toure said: “Sunderland was a bit different. Sunderland I always score a special goal. Like we say sometimes in the games, you always have a lucky team. Every time you play against them you always score goals. I always feel like something’s going to happen: goals or assists, but this goal was always special.”
Toure enjoyed a hugely successful spell with Manchester City, having initially signed for the club from Barcelona in 2010. Over the course of eight years in the Premier League, he would win three titles, racking up 80 goals and 45 assists in 316 outings across all competitions.
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In 2018, he would depart for Greek side Olympiacos as a free agent, and after a brief stint in China with QD Huanghai, hung up his boots for good in 2020. Speaking after his exit from Olympiacos, when it had seemed as Toure was done with the professional game, his agent said: “Yaya has decided to end his career as a champion. The farewell match which Manchester City gave him was, in principle, the real end of his playing career, not only in that team, but in general.
“Yaya is one of the best players in Africa and had one of the brightest careers in the history of African football, so should leave football at its peak. We talked for a long time on this topic. Of course every footballer wants to play as long as possible and in terms of his physical condition Yaya could do this at a sufficiently high level for another five years.”
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