Yaya Toure becomes first African coach to lead a team into Champions League

Legendary former Ivory Coast footballer Yaya Toure has made history by becoming the first African coach to lead a team into the main round of the UEFA Champions League with his club Slovan Bratislava.

The Slovakian club secured a place in the European club competition on Wednesday after winning their two-legged tie against NK Celje with a 3-2 aggregate score in Slovenia.

Toure joined the club as its head coach in June and has made a quick impression, leading the Slovak champions to four wins in the league and ensuring a spot in the biggest club competition in the world.

Slovan Bratislava began their qualifying round for the Champions League in July with a 2-0 win over Georgian team Saburtalo before drawing the second leg of the tie 1-1.

They then beat Sweden’s Mjallby in both legs of their second qualifying round to secure a place in the playoffs, where they overcame the Slovenian club over two legs to enter the main round.

Toure, who is counted amongst the greatest African footballers of all time, was serenaded with a rendition of the “Yaya Toure” chant made popular during his time as a key member of a successful Manchester City team of the 2010s.

The 43-year-old retired as a player in 2019, following a trophy-laden 18-year career as a midfielder in top European leagues. Prior to joining City in 2010, he played for Spanish giants Barcelona, where he won the Champions League (2008-09), two La Liga titles (2008-09 and 2009-10), the Spanish Super Cup (2008-09), the UEFA Super Cup (2009-10) and the FIFA Club World Cup (2010). He then went on to win three Premier League titles, one FA Cup and three English League Cups with City.

Toure is the joint most decorated African footballer, having won four African Footballer of the Year awards from 2011 to 2014. He won the Africa Cup of Nations with The Elephants in 2015.