Yaya Toure Denies Retiring Despite Agent Dimitri Seluk's Public Comments

Former Barcelona and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has denied he has retired from the sport, refuting comments from his agent Dimitri Seluk.

Per Get French Football News, the Ivorian told Sky Sports he will announce his retirement himself when the time comes:

Earlier this week, Seluk told Sport24 (h/t Goal's Chris Burton) the 35-year-old had retired and wanted to try his hand at coaching or management:

"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."

Sportswriter Kristan Heneage provided some context to Toure's comments:

Toure's appearance on Sky Sports created quite the stir:

The all-round midfielder hasn't played in an official match since December 2018 with Olympiacos, and he last played for City in May of the same year, in a 3-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

He won the Premier League three times with the Sky Blues and added two La Liga titles and a UEFA Champions League to his impressive resume with Barcelona.

Controversy often accompanied Toure during his time at the Etihad Stadium. In 2014, he threatened to leave the club after City didn't wish him a happy birthday, per the Sun (h/t Daily Mail's David Kent).

He also accused manager Pep Guardiola of having issues with African players, prompting Seluk to call on "African shamans" to place a curse on him, per Sport24 (h/t Football365).