Yaya Toure set for first Champions League match as Slovan Bratislava boss against PSG

Yaya Toure will take charge of his first Champions League match as a manager when Slovan Bratislava face Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, marking the latest stage of a carefully planned transition into coaching.

Toure is no stranger to the competition. The former Cote d’Ivoire midfielder played 70 Champions League matches, making him the seventh-most capped African player in the tournament’s history, and lifted the trophy with FC Barcelona in 2009.

His appearance at the Parc des Princes will nevertheless represent a significant first. For the first time, he will lead a team from the technical area in Europe’s elite club competition, continuing a coaching journey he has pursued patiently since ending his playing career.

Toure worked under several of the most influential managers of his generation. Frank Rijkaard established him at FC Barcelona, while Pep Guardiola introduced him to the extreme demands of positional play. During his time at Manchester City, Roberto Mancini gave him greater attacking responsibility and helped unlock his potential in the final third. Manuel Pellegrini later oversaw the most prolific season of his career.

Despite those experiences, Toure identified Rijkaard as his greatest influence when he was presented by Slovan Bratislava: « C’est probablement lui qui m’a le plus influence ».

The four-time African Player of the Year did not use his reputation to demand a major managerial role immediately. In 2021, he began as an assistant at Olimpik Donetsk in Ukraine before taking a similar position at Akhmat Grozny in Russia.

He then worked with Tottenham’s under-16 side and joined Carl Hoefkens at Standard de Liege. At that stage, Toure stressed the importance of building his career gradually: « Je dois avancer etape par etape. Je suis dans un processus d’apprentissage ».

His coaching education later brought him back together with Mancini, this time as an assistant with the Saudi Arabia national team. That experience was followed by his first full-time position as a head coach at Slovan Bratislava.

Toure was handed his first major managerial responsibility by the Slovak club this summer and quickly set out his footballing ambitions. «Nous voulons pratiquer un football dominant et agressif. C’est notre plan clair. » He has also emphasised intensity, hard work and the individual development of his players.

« Les joueurs doivent etre les stars. Je veux les pousser jusqu’a leurs limites », he said after arriving at the club.

The approach reflects lessons learned from his former managers, although Toure has made clear that he intends to develop his own identity rather than simply replicate theirs.

His opening months in charge have already produced a historic achievement. By guiding Slovan Bratislava past Celje in qualifying, Toure became the first African manager to lead a club into the main phase of the Champions League. The team has since suffered two recent league defeats, underlining that his development as a coach is still in progress.

Against PSG, the defending champions for the second successive season, Toure may have to temper his desire for control against a more powerful opponent. The match will not determine the direction of his managerial career, but it will provide an early measure of the progress made by a coach who chose to learn the profession before stepping fully into the spotlight.

Naim Beneddra

Football has been part of my life since childhood, and I have been fortunate enough to make it my profession for more than 20 years. Since then, I have written, analysed, occasionally complained in front of a match and, above all, continued to enjoy telling the stories of the people who shape the sport. As an unconditional fan of the Fennecs, I naturally keep a close eye on everything connected with Algerian football. If you love football with passion, curiosity and a little openly acknowledged bias, we should get on well.