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Yaya Toure recalled how senior players at Barcelona protected a young Lionel Messi, recognizing his talent. Toure shared memories of his time with legends like Ronaldinho, Xavi, and Iniesta.
Lionel Messi now represents Iner Miami. (AFP Photo)
Yaya Toure has recalled how senior players used to back a young Lionel Messi during his early days at Barcelona. Toure, who is known for his long successful spell with Manchester City, spent three seasons at the Catalan club from 2007 to 2010, sharing the dressing room with legends like Ronaldinho, Xavi, Iniesta and Thierry Henry.
By the time Toure moved to Barcelona from Monaco, Messi had already cemented his place in the first team. Coming out of the famed La Masia Academy, the Argentine made his professional debut at the age of 17 in 2004.
Toure says everyone at Barcelona clearly recognised Messi’s talent and went out of their way to “protect” him both on and off the field. The former Ivory Coast star shared these memories during a recent chat with Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand.
“Everyone protected him (Messi) because we knew he was a talented player, and we recognised how good he was. That was very beneficial for the club. We were happy when opponents pressed us high. Because we simply, without thinking, would try to pass the ball to him immediately,” the 41-year-old said on the ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents’ podcast.
Toure further opened up about being humiliated by Ronaldinho at Barcelona training.
When he first arrived at the club, the Brazil great seemed nothing special to him. Toure, however, got to know more about Ronaldinho and his skills after meeting him at the practice ground.
“In my early days with Barcelona during training, Ronaldinho seemed ordinary. But one day he came to me and said, ‘Be careful, Yaya, if you get close to me, I’ll make you a laughing stock!’ I thought he was just joking, but every time I got near him, he’d nutmeg me,” Toure said.
Toure parted ways with Barcelona to join Manchester City and stayed at the Premier League club till 2018. During his brief stint with the Spanish outfit, Toure registered eight goals and as many assists in 118 appearances across all competitions.
The midfielder also lifted seven trophies with Barcelona, including two La Liga and a Champions League.
