Manchester City were above the lot this season! Winner of the FA Cup after their victory over rival Manchester United and crowned English champions under the nose and beard of Arsenal, the Mancunian club won the first Champions League in its history against Inter Milan (1-0), offering himself a hat-trick. In the past, few of them have achieved such a feat, like Bayern Munich, Ajax Amsterdam and FC Barcelona. As such, Yaya Touré is one of the best placed to talk about it. Before joining Manchester, the former Ivorian international made the happiness of the Catalan club with which he achieved a similar feat in 2009 under the leadership of Pep Guardiola (Liga – Copa Del Rey – Champions League). During an interview with the DailyMailthe current assistant coach of Standard de Liège admitted that the 2009 version of Barça was superior to Man City 2023, due to its dominating football and the stars who made up the Catalan workforce at that time.
“In 2009 we had Thierry Henry, Messi, Samuel Eto’o who were the best in the world. Then there was Iniesta and Xavi, then me and Busquets. This team was so complete. It would be difficult but this team (FC Barcelona) with its mix of superstars, so many great players, I think they would win. 100%… Imagine Iniesta at 26 or 27, Xavi at 28. These players at that time were incredible., he said. Despite his strong opinion on the issue, Yaya Touré believes that Manchester City is destined for a bright future and had predicted it when he landed in England in 2010. “When I made my debut, I said that I came to this club because one day this club will be big and will be at the top. At that time, it was still a bit early. Most of the big players, like Sergio Aguero and David Silva weren’t involved yet. Soon City will be highly respected in the world of football.”he ended up concluding.
