Toure's nomination came after a 2013 in which he set new standards at Manchester City. His 20 goals were the second-most by any City player since 1992, bettered only by Carlos Tevez in 2009-10 and Sergio Aguero in 2012-13, who both scored 23 times. That Toure is a midfielder only added to the feat.
That many of those goals came from set-pieces is not a sign of a lack of artistry but of acute accuracy, as manager Manuel Pellegrini pointed out. In September 2013, he praised Toure's work ethic as much as his talent, saying: "Yaya stays normally, kicking the ball after we finish the daily work. He is really in a good moment [of form] also, [although] it is not normal for someone always [to be] scoring free kicks."
The fact that Toure has not replicated his form at international level, or this season, has been put down to the pain he experienced after the death of younger brother Ibrahim, who lost a short battle with cancer during the World Cup in June. Although Yaya and Kolo, another brother, stayed in Brazil to play in the tournament, Pellegrini explained the emotional toll was still tough: "There are a lot of human things and maybe that is why he is not in his best performance at the moment."
Since then, Toure has shown only glimpses of his golden touch and scored his first Premier League goal against Aston Villa in early October. The swagger and presence he had built his reputation on is slowly re-emerging and he has proved the clichéd adage about form and class: one is temporary, and the other permanent.
While Toure's timelessness has earned him a nomination among the playing elite, evidently no other African player displayed qualities that were deemed good enough for the prestigious prize. Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who kept a clean sheet for Lille for 11 games and 1,062 minutes, went unnoticed, as did Mohamed Aboutrika, who scored five times in Al-Ahly's CAF Champions League triumph last year.
African players may feel aggrieved, but at least one has made a mark alongside Toure. Algeria's Yacine Brahimi may not be in the same league, but he was named the 2013-14 La Liga Best African Player for his performances for Granada and it is rightful recognition for form that has been sustained and translated to international level.
The midfielder played in 35 of Granada's 38 games last season and although he only netted three times, his ability to create chances through quick movement and crafty dribbling is what caught both the eye and the award, and is now paying off for Algeria as well.
He was one of their star players at the 2014 World Cup and scored the final goal in their 4-2 win over South Korea in Group H. He has also been in impressive form during qualifying for the 2015 African Nations' Cup (ANC), a tournament that Algeria have already confirmed their participation in. Brahimi scored in the campaign opener, in which Algeria defeated Ethiopia 2-1, and is part of a new wave of players who are keeping the Fennecs at the top of the African game.
He is also fast establishing himself as a key man for his new club, FC Porto. Brahimi has already netted four times for them in the UEFA Champions League, where the Portuguese giants sit atop their pool. The future looks bright for Brahimi and there is much he can still achieve, but if he uses Toure as a role model, he can't go far wrong.
0 comments:
Post a Comment