Kolo Toure is a footballer who has become famous for playing in the English Premier League. For a long time he was the main defender in such clubs as Arsenal and Liverpool. Today, the brothers Colo and Yaya Toure are the real leaders of the national team of Côte d'Ivoire.
Start a professional career
Colo Toure was born on March 19, 1981 in the town of Bouake, Côte d'Ivoire. The first football club of young talent was the local Mimozas. Soon, the guy declared himself as one of the most promising players in the region.
The successes of Kolo Toure on the football field did not go unnoticed by scouts of advanced European teams. Thus, already in January 2002, the young player moved from the African championship straight to England, where he signed the first serious contract with the management of the Arsenal football club. Incidentally, the transaction amount was only 150,000 pounds.
At the time of the agreement, Kolo Touré was 21 years old. Despite his youth, the football player already had the status of one of the leaders of the adult national team of Côte d'Ivoire. Since Toure was flirted for the national team of the country, the Arsenal leadership had absolutely no problems getting permission for official employment for him in Britain.
Performances for Arsenal
The debut of Kolo Tours in England took place in the first match of the 2002/2003 season. In a duel for the country's Super Bowl, a young player entered the field in the starting lineup of a new team against Liverpool.
Colo Toure began to play for Arsenal as a defensive midfielder. However, thanks to the “creative” permutations of the head coach of the team Arsen Wenger, over time, the player began to increasingly take the place of central defender.
In the 2002/2003 season, Kolo Toure firmly “cemented” the defense of the London club, and his right to a place in the first team was not questioned. In the same year, the player won the FA Cup. According to the results of the next season, Arsenal won the championship title without having suffered a single defeat in the tournament, largely due to the successful actions of Kolo Touré on the defensive.
In 2006, the Ivorian defender's team beat all competitors in the Champions League playoffs, gaining the right to compete for the trophy in the final match against Barcelona. However, this season the English club was not destined to win the trophy, which went to the Spaniards.
After losing in the finals of the prestigious European tournament in the Arsenal game, there was a serious decline for a long time. For three consecutive seasons, the Londoners could not win a single trophy. The unfavorable atmosphere in the team and the lack of prospects for professional growth soon made Toure think about changing the team.
Transition to Manchester City
On July 29, 2009, Colo Toure entered into an agreement with Manchester City, joining, after many other world football stars, one of the richest clubs at that time. Pretty soon, the famous defender earned the status of team captain. In the 2011/2012 season, the football team from Manchester managed to win the league title.
Transfer to Liverpool
In 2013, already an elderly player, Colo Touré decided to leave Manchester City. The reason for leaving was the reluctance of the leadership of the “citizens” to renew the contract with the player.
As a free agent, Toure moved to Liverpool. The agreement was signed on July 1, 2013, and its duration is designed for 2 seasons. In 2015, the club extended the contract with the veteran for another year.
Career continuation
In the summer of 2016, Kolo Toure once again received the status of a free agent. In search of a new club, an experienced defender decided to give preference to “Celtic”, whose mentor was Brendan Rogers, who is well known to the footballer at work in “Liverpool”. To this day, Colo Touré continues to defend the colors of the Scottish club.