markysimmo
Johnny nice-tits
Yaya, are you Campbell in disguise...
Emirates Marketing Project and Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure thinks he is not regarded as one of the best players in the world because he is from Africa.
He feels countryman Didier Drogba and Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o are also undervalued because they are African
And the 30-year-old says some people still regard Africans as "animals not human beings".
Toure has scored 22 goals this season, helping City win the League Cup and challenge for the Premier League title.
Club-mate Samir Nasri recently said Toure would be celebrated as one of the world's best midfielders if he was not African.
In an exclusive interview for Football Focus on BBC World News, Toure said: "I think what Samir was saying was definitely true."
Is it cos I is black
Toure has won league titles in four countries - Ivory Coast, Greece, Spain and England - and was part of the Barcelona team that won the Champions League in 2009.
"To be honest, proper recognition has only come from the fans," said the three-time African player of the year. "I don't want to be hard and I don't want to be negative, but I want to be honest."
Toure feels the media should do more to promote African players.
"If we play well and we don't have the recognition from the media, we are not going to be where we want to be," he said
Toure also feels African players need to do far more to stand out, drawing comparisons with Barcelona duo Andres Iniesta and Xavi, both former team-mates of his.
He says Iniesta and Xavi are often praised for their attacking skills, but rarely singled out for criticism when they fail to defend properly.
In contrast, Toure claims he is regularly picked on by the media when he makes a defensive mistake.
The Ivorian is also unhappy that Lionel Messi, widely regarded as one of the best players in the world with Cristiano Ronaldo, is recognised around the world but players like himself are not.
He said: "If you go to any part of Africa now, people will say, 'yes, we know him [Messi]', but when you come to Europe and say 'Yaya Toure' people will say, 'who is that?' Some will say they know my name but not know my face. But they will know Messi's face."
Toure, who played in Belgium, Russia, Greece, France and Spain before moving to England, says he will be disappointed if he is not named player of the year by the Professional Footballers' Association.
Emirates Marketing Project and Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure thinks he is not regarded as one of the best players in the world because he is from Africa.
He feels countryman Didier Drogba and Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o are also undervalued because they are African
And the 30-year-old says some people still regard Africans as "animals not human beings".
Toure has scored 22 goals this season, helping City win the League Cup and challenge for the Premier League title.
Club-mate Samir Nasri recently said Toure would be celebrated as one of the world's best midfielders if he was not African.
In an exclusive interview for Football Focus on BBC World News, Toure said: "I think what Samir was saying was definitely true."
Is it cos I is black
Toure has won league titles in four countries - Ivory Coast, Greece, Spain and England - and was part of the Barcelona team that won the Champions League in 2009.
"To be honest, proper recognition has only come from the fans," said the three-time African player of the year. "I don't want to be hard and I don't want to be negative, but I want to be honest."
Toure feels the media should do more to promote African players.
"If we play well and we don't have the recognition from the media, we are not going to be where we want to be," he said
Toure also feels African players need to do far more to stand out, drawing comparisons with Barcelona duo Andres Iniesta and Xavi, both former team-mates of his.
He says Iniesta and Xavi are often praised for their attacking skills, but rarely singled out for criticism when they fail to defend properly.
In contrast, Toure claims he is regularly picked on by the media when he makes a defensive mistake.
The Ivorian is also unhappy that Lionel Messi, widely regarded as one of the best players in the world with Cristiano Ronaldo, is recognised around the world but players like himself are not.
He said: "If you go to any part of Africa now, people will say, 'yes, we know him [Messi]', but when you come to Europe and say 'Yaya Toure' people will say, 'who is that?' Some will say they know my name but not know my face. But they will know Messi's face."
Toure, who played in Belgium, Russia, Greece, France and Spain before moving to England, says he will be disappointed if he is not named player of the year by the Professional Footballers' Association.
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