Former Manchester City and Barcelona star Yaya Toure has never been afraid of speaking his mind, and now his voice will be the loudest in the dressing room. For some time the Ivorian legend has been building up experience in coaching, and now has taken his first step into management.

Toure, 43, retired in 2020 after a short spell in China, having also signed for Olympiakos after leaving Manchester City. Over the past few years, he has done his badges and taken on assistant roles at Olimpik Donetsk, Akhmat Grozny, Standard Liege and most recently Saudi Arabia, where he was until 2024. In the 2022-23 season, he also managed Tottenham Hotspur’s under-19 side.

Yaya Toure takes first job in management

Now the one-time marauding midfielder has taken a step up to the main seat. They did not announce the length of his deal, but Slovan Bratislava have announced that Toure is taking over Slovakia’s most successful club. Last season they were managed by Vladimir Weiss, who has been in charge for the past five years, and has seen the club win the last five Slovakian league titles. He is moving on to take over the Slovakia national team full-time.

Yaya Wears Slovan ?
Welcome to Slovan @YayaToure #spolusmeslovan #belasimajstri pic.twitter.com/1xbIvETDfk

— ŠK Slovan Bratislava (@SKSlovan) June 13, 2026

Yaya Toure: “I want to play dominant football”

Speaking to the club media, Toure said that he was delighted to have been given the full-time role.

“I’m very happy and excited; honestly, I can’t wait for us to get to work together on Monday. My predecessor deserves great respect for what he’s achieved with Slovan. I want to build on that while also bringing something new and unique of my own. Football is everything to me. I love challenges and am incredibly excited to coach a great club with a rich history, a beautiful stadium, and high ambitions. I was very pleasantly surprised by the club’s facilities, which are truly top-notch. With Slovan, I want to play dominant soccer, win games, and control matches so that we can delight our fans.”

“I’m looking forward to getting to know the players personally. I’ve already tried to study the team in as much detail as possible, but the most important thing will still be to see how the players react during training. As an assistant, I had the opportunity to work with Robert Mancini, for example, but I’ve longed for a long time to be able to work on my own project as a head coach. I appreciate that this opportunity is coming at a top club, which I recently watched in a Champions League match against Manchester City. I really can’t wait for Monday; I’m excited about what lies ahead.”

Toure mentions Mancini, who he also had as a player at City, but it will be interesting to see who has the biggest influence on him. He famously fell out with Pep Guardiola, but also worked under Manuel Pellegrini and Frank Rijkaard.

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