Former Manchester City, Barcelona Star Yaya Toure Retires

Former Manchester City and Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure has retired and plans to move into coaching or management, according to his agent.

Dimitri Seluk told Sport24 (h/t Goal's Chris Burton) the Ivorian could still play the game but decided to end his career as a champion:

"I say this for the first time: Yaya decided to end his career as a champion. The farewell match, when he won the Premier League title with Manchester City was, in principle, the real end of his playing career. Not only in this team, but in general.

"Yaya is one of the best players in Africa and he had one of the brightest careers in the history of African football. Therefore, he should also leave football beautifully, at the peak. We talked for a long time on this topic.

"Of course, every football player wants to play for as long as possible. In terms of his physical condition, Yaya could do this at a sufficiently high level for another five years. But we came to the conclusion that he, the football player who played for Barcelona and Manchester City, could not lower the bar.

"We see many players who continue their careers at a mature age, and this is commendable. But Yaya and I chose a different path - to leave as a champion and start a new stage in life with a career as a coach."

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The 35-year-old hasn't played a match since December of last year, with Greek club Olympiacos. His final appearance for City came in May, in a 3-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

He secured an impressive amount of silverware over the course of his career:

Toure started his European career in Belgium with Beveren and steadily worked his way up the ladder. After stops with Metalurh Donetsk, Olympiacos and Monaco, he joined Barcelona in 2007.

At the Camp Nou, the powerful midfielder established himself as one of the world's best, winning La Liga twice and the UEFA Champions League once.

He moved to City in 2010 and kept on winning, raising the Premier League trophy three times.

Both Barcelona and City wished him luck with his post-playing career on Twitter:

Known for his tremendous all-round game and scoring ability from midfield, Toure was voted African Footballer of the Year four times in a row, between 2011 and 2014. He's one of the best players the continent has ever seen and won a single Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast, in 2015.

Toure's play was at times overshadowed by controversy, with his agent Seluk frequently criticising City in the press. Per the Sun (h/t Daily Mail's  David Kent), he threatened to leave the club because they didn't wish him a happy birthday in 2014, and openly accused manager Pep Guardiola of having a problem with African players last season, per France Football (via BBC Sport).

Seluk also called Guardiola a worthless person and placed an "African curse" on him, per Sport24 (h/t Football365).

He'll be remembered more for playing a crucial role in City's rise to power, however, as he was one of the key men in their three title-winning campaigns.