After being nominated for the award for the last five years, City’s Ivorian midfielder has been chosen as the BBC African Footballer of the Year for the first time in his glittering career.
Toure beat off competition from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Victor Moses, John Mikel Obi and Jonathan Pitroipa to land the gong in the BBC’s public vote.
This five-man shortlist was drawn up by 44 African football journalists in November and was voted on online by football fans from all over the globe.
“This award is very special because it’s not a president of a federation who votes, or a trainer but the fans who have voted for me,” Toure told mcfc.co.uk.
It means so much to me, I feel proud and I just want to say thank you to the fans. They have given me this award and I’m very happy for that.
...Yaya Toure...
“To join such a great list of names to have won the award in the past, it’s an incredible feeling.
“When I first signed at City at my first press conference, I said I came here to achieve a lot of things and this is part of that. Personal and collective achievements.
“To be around such great players, like David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Samir, Fernandinho now and Gareth Barry in the past, to play with them is unbelievable - they make my job easier.
“Football is all my life, when I hear fans singing my name, I never want to stop. What the club and the fans have given me here is unbelievable - it’s massive.”
Even by his own stratospheric standards, Yaya is enjoying a 2013/14 campaign to remember.
The 30-year old has found the back of the net seven times in his 19 appearances for the Blues in all competitions so far this season.
That tally includes four stunning free-kicks against Newcastle United, Hull City, Wigan Athletic and Norwich City.
Yaya also led his country to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, appearing in both legs of the Côte d’Ivoire’s 4-2 aggregate win over Senegal in the play-offs.
Since joining City in 2010, Yaya has added the Community Shield, an FA Cup and the Barclays Premier League title to his collection of medals which also includes the UEFA Champions League, the FIFA World Club Cup and the UEFA Super Cup from his time at FC Barcelona.
Toure has appeared on 153 occasions for City in all competitions over the past four seasons and agreed a new four-year contract at the club in April 2013.
This latest individual award for the midfielder is not to be confused with the African Footballer of the Year prize conferred by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) which Yaya has won for the past two years.
Toure was also named as the only African on the 23-man shortlist for this year’s FIFA World Player of the Year.
Everyone at the club would like to congratulate Yaya on his fantastic achievement.
