Touré Brothers Look To Make World Cup History In Brazil

Powerhouse brothers Yaya and Kolo Touré will make their third straight World Cup appearance when they take the field together for the Ivory Coast on Saturday in their crucial opening match against Japan. The pair, who currently play for Manchester City (Yaya) and Liverpool (Kolo) on the club level look to elongate the ‘Golden Generation’ of the Ivory Coast and will try to qualify for the knockout round for the first time in their nations history. And even though Yaya Touré is facing a last minute injury scare and may miss out on the match, the Ivorians are still favorite to advance, albeit second, from Group C, which also features Colombia and Greece.

Born in Bouake in central Ivory Coast, the two brothers were heralded as strong prospects from an early age and played for the youth team at ASEC Mimosas, the most successful team in Ivorian football. Older brother Kolo then joined Arsenal in the British Premier League and featured for the squad 225 times, scoring 9 goals. Kolo was joined by Yaya for one match, while the younger was on trial, and although the two wished to play together, Yaya, then 20 years old, was unable to secure a work permit and had to resort to signing for Ukranian side Metalurh Donetsk instead. Kolo Touré has since then featured as a central defender for Manchester City and Liverpool, as well as making 107 international appearances for the Ivory Coast national team.

Hailed by his older brother Kolo as “the new Patrick Viera”, Yaya Touré is considered the strongest Ivorian player featuring in this world cup. Immensely strong, technically gifted, and tactically aware, Yaya brings an aggressive mentality and a soft touch with him to all parts of the pitch. Oftentimes playing box-to-box, Yaya helped Manchester City to their second Premier League title in three years this past season, and although there is hefty speculation about his current fitness, having suffered a thigh injury in mid-April, Yaya will do whatever he can to be fit for Saturday’s opener. Yaya played for Olympiacos, Monaco, and Barcelona before joining City.

The Touré brothers will join veterans Didier Drogba and Solomon Kalou as well as newcomer Gervinho as the top players for the Ivorian squad looking to make history. Regardless of how the team performs in this summer’s tournament, the sporting prowess of the Touré family (a third Touré, Ibrahim plays professionally in Lebanon) will undoubtedly be on display during the tournament.