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WORLD FOOTBALL

    Yaya Toure Announces Retirement from International Football with Ivory Coast

    Matt JonesFeatured ColumnistSeptember 20, 2016

    Ivory Coast's midfielder Yaya Toure controls the ball during the 2015 African Cup of Nations quarter final football match between Ivory Coast and Algeria in Malabo, on February 1, 2015. AFP PHOTO / ISSOUF SANOGO (Photo credit should read ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP/Getty Images)
    ISSOUF SANOGO/Getty Images

    Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure has confirmed that he is to retire from international football. 

    The Manchester City star, who has represented the Elephants on 102 occasions, scoring 19 goals, revealed the decision on social media on Tuesday:

    Yaya Touré @YayaToure

    Please see statement on my retirement from international football. https://t.co/RIIrajV0GK

    The 33-year-old’s finest moment with the national side came in 2015, when he led the team to glory in the Africa Cup of Nations, beating Ghana via a penalty shootout in Equatorial Guinea; it was the first time the Ivory Coast had won the competition since 1992.

    Toure was named captain of his country following the retirement of Didier Drogba in 2014 and also represented the Elephants at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup.

    “Writing this note was probably 'the most difficult match of my life’.” read part of the City man’s statement. “After 14 years at the highest level, I’m sure this is the right time for me! The fact that I am 33 now, the intensity of training and the multitude of games are not the reasons why I am making this decision.”

    Ivorians celebrate as President Alassane Ouattara (C-L) and Ivory Coast's midfielder and captain Yaya Toure (C-R) hold the 2015 African Cup of Nations trophy during a welcoming parade in Abidjan on February 9, 2015. Ivory Coast ended a 23-year Africa Cup
    SIA KAMBOU/Getty Images

    While Toure will not be playing international football again any time soon, his prospects at the Etihad Stadium look bleak at the moment, with manager Pep Guardiola making it clear there’s some steps to be taken before he plays for City again, per Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail:

    Yaya Toure Announces Retirement from International Football with Ivory Coast
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    Chris Wheeler @ChrisWheelerDM

    Pep Guardiola says that Yaya Toure won't play for Man City again unless his agent Dimitri Seluk apologises for comments made about the club

    Toure has started just one game for the club this season and was left out of the UEFA Champions League squad for the group stage of the competition. 

    It was a decision that prompted an angry reaction from the player’s agent, Dimitri Seluk. “If City don’t win the Champions League then I hope that Pep has got the balls to say that he was wrong to humiliate a great player like Yaya,” he said, per Simon Mullock of the Daily Mirror.

    Manchester City's Ivorian midfielder and captain Yaya Toure controls the ball during the UEFA Champions league second leg play-off football match between Manchester City and Steaua Bucharest at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England on Augus
    OLI SCARFF/Getty Images

    The former Barcelona midfielder is a popular player at the Etihad Stadium having enjoyed six prosperous years at the club; Toure’s rumbustious midfield displays helped City win the Premier League twice, as well as the FA Cup and two League Cups.

    Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail feels as though the decision on his international future may have been taken with prolonging his City career in mind:

    Mike Keegan @MikeKeegan_DM

    Wondering if someone has had a word in Yaya Toure's ear about things he could do to boost his chances of making the City squad.

    Toure can at least reflect on a remarkable career with his country. It’s rare for footballers to enjoy success on both the domestic and international fronts; for Toure to lead his country to glory in a major tournament cemented his greatness in the eyes of many.

    Now his attentions will turn to club football and somehow seeking to make his way back into the plans of Guardiola. Even if he was to move on, with so much experience accrued from his glories with City and the Ivory Coast, in the twilight of his career Toure is a player that still has a lot to offer in the right setup.