Chapter 515: The Opportunity Has Come
Yaya Touré's career has been a steady climb, full of stumbles, but always moving upward.
Unlike his older brother, Kolo Touré, who gained recognition early and became a household name, Yaya's rise was slower and more arduous.
In 1996, Yaya was selected to join ASEC Mimosas in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
The club wasn't well-known globally but held significant stature in Ivorian football, having produced numerous talents like the Touré brothers, Gervinho, and Salomon Kalou.
ASEC Mimosas was founded by the French coach Jean-Marc Guillou.
Guillou had been a professional footballer, though his career was relatively unremarkable. His most notable achievement was coaching Cannes in Ligue 2 during the 1983-84 season.
That year, Cannes appointed a young assistant coach named Arsène Wenger. Wenger's potential quickly became apparent, and after just one season, he left for Nancy in Ligue 1.
Guillou, however, stayed with Cannes for another year but was eventually dismissed due to poor results. He then moved to Switzerland to coach Servette, but that stint was also short-lived.
Meanwhile, Wenger went on to coach Monaco, then Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan, before ultimately achieving legendary status at Arsenal.
Guillou, on the other hand, spent several years unemployed before founding the Mimosas Academy in 1993.
In 1996, Yaya Touré's talent caught Guillou's eye, earning him a spot at the academy.
His older brother, Kolo, didn't join until 1998.
By 2001, Yaya had become the standout player of his generation at Mimosas. He was subsequently sent to Belgian club Beveren to begin his European journey.
At just 18, Yaya bore the responsibility of changing his family's fortunes.
However, fate had a twist in store.
In early 2002, Kolo Touré went for a trial with Arsenal during the winter break. Wenger was impressed and signed him directly from Mimosas. Almost overnight, Kolo became a rising star in the Premier League.
Inspired by his brother's success, Yaya also tried out for Arsenal. But Wenger deemed him too slender to handle the league's physicality and passed on signing him.
Undeterred, Yaya pressed on, moving to Metalurh Donetsk, then Olympiacos, and later AS Monaco, steadily climbing the football ladder.
His hard work paid off. His performances in Ligue 1 attracted the attention of Barcelona, who signed him to strengthen their midfield.
Under Frank Rijkaard, Yaya quickly established himself as a key player, showcasing his versatility and physical presence in the middle of the park.
But success was fleeting.
Barcelona endured a disappointing season, which cost Rijkaard his job. Pep Guardiola took over, and with him came changes that deeply impacted Yaya's career.
The first major decision Guardiola made was to promote Sergio Busquets from the B team.
This move stirred plenty of speculation within the club.
A persistent rumor circulated around the Joan Gamper Sports City, one that baffled outsiders but was taken seriously internally:
Allegedly, in 2007, shortly after Guardiola began coaching Barcelona B, he sought advice from Gao Shen. According to the story, Gao Shen confidently predicted that Busquets, then an unremarkable winger would become the ideal number four for Barcelona's tactical system.
The tale splintered into multiple versions.
Some claimed that Gao Shen initially tried to sign Busquets for Napoli but failed, settling instead for Thiago Motta. Others suggested that Guardiola followed Gao Shen's recommendation to convert Busquets into a holding midfielder, which ultimately laid the foundation for Barcelona's success.
Regardless of the truth, one thing was clear:
Busquets' rise had Gao Shen's fingerprints all over it.
Both Guardiola and Barcelona's top brass held Gao Shen's footballing insights in high regard. Publicly, the Catalan media criticized him, but privately, his opinions carried significant weight.
As Busquets' stock rose, Yaya Touré's minutes dwindled.
Throughout the season, he found himself rotating with the younger Spaniard. After the winter break, Busquets gradually secured the starting role, especially in high-stakes matches like the Champions League semi-finals.
By the end of the season, Yaya had been relegated to playing as a center-back.
The demotion gnawed at him.
How had Busquets—a rookie—suddenly surpassed him?
Was it really all because of one comment from Gao Shen?
Why did everyone assume Gao Shen's assessment was flawless?
Yaya Touré didn't buy it. He didn't accept it.
He had contributed significantly to Barcelona's La Liga triumph. His performance in the Copa del Rey final was crucial to their victory. Even in the Champions League, he'd played more games than Busquets throughout the campaign.
Yet here he was, moved to defense so that a young upstart could take his place.
He was 26 years old, just entering his prime.
He had worked tirelessly to reach Barcelona after nearly a decade in European football. Now he was supposed to step aside?
No.
Yaya Touré refused to fade into the background.
He was determined to prove he was better than Busquets, better than Xavi, better than anyone else at Barcelona.
And tonight, under the lights of the Champions League final, he saw his chance.
---
On the pitch, no one knew what was going through Yaya Touré's mind.
Even Gao Shen, despite his sharp tactical instincts, only sensed vaguely that Touré was growing more agitated and eager as the match progressed.
But Gao Shen didn't give it much thought. He never imagined that a casual comment he made years ago would ripple into something like this.
As Barcelona prepared to take their free kick, both Piqué and Yaya Touré moved into Napoli's penalty area.
Napoli's players formed a well-organized wall, and referee Howard Webb blew his whistle, signaling for Xavi to proceed.
Xavi took a quick run-up and delivered a driven cross into the box, but Thiago Motta anticipated the trajectory and cleared the ball with a firm header.
The congested penalty area suddenly emptied as Napoli's defensive line sprang forward like a coiled spring.
The ball fell to Sánchez, who collected it with his back to goal. Immediately, he spotted Yaya Touré charging toward him like an enraged bull.
The towering Ivorian midfielder, with his imposing physique and dark skin glistening under the stadium lights, resembled a charging elephant. Sánchez instinctively passed the ball away without hesitation.
But Touré didn't stop.
After Sánchez released the ball, Touré surged toward Biglia, then toward another Napoli player. He was determined to regain possession in the attacking third—or, better yet, dribble straight into Napoli's box himself.
Guardiola grew visibly anxious on the touchline.
"Yaya! Retreat! Retreat!" he bellowed, waving his arms frantically.
Piqué had already dropped back into position, but Touré remained dangerously high.
He wasn't playing as a center-back anymore; he was pressing like the box-to-box midfielder he once was.
By now, Napoli's passing had bypassed Touré's reckless press. The ball found Thiago Motta in space, and the Brazilian quickly launched a low, diagonal pass upfield.
Cavani tried to hold the ball with his back to goal but misjudged his first touch. His pass toward Di María was intercepted by Busquets, who immediately offloaded it to Puyol.
Napoli's front line reacted instantly.
Di María sprinted forward to close down Puyol, forcing the veteran to return the ball to Piqué.
But Cavani was already charging at Piqué.
Touré was still out of position.
…
The opportunity had arrived.
On the sidelines, Gao Shen's eyes lit up. He clenched his fists and roared, "Press! Press now!"
"Rakitic, go! Attack!"
Napoli's players responded immediately. Rakitic accelerated toward Busquets, who had dropped into the center-back position. Sánchez simultaneously closed down Dani Alves.
Barcelona's defensive line suddenly found themselves with no short passing options.
Busquets was forced to turn and pass the ball back to Valdés.
The goalkeeper rushed to the top of the penalty area to receive the pass, but Cavani was already charging toward him. Panicked, Valdés launched a hurried clearance down the right flank.
The ball hung in the air, descending near Henry. But Lichtsteiner timed his leap perfectly and headed the ball back toward Barcelona's half.
Thiago Motta didn't hesitate.
With one smooth motion, he drove a long, low pass forward.
Cavani positioned himself against Piqué, using his body to shield the ball as it arrived. With a deft touch, he laid the ball off to his right.
Di María latched onto it and surged down the right wing.
Puyol reacted quickly, retreating into position and blocking the Argentine's path. Di María abruptly stopped, turned back, and then slid the ball toward Lichtsteiner, who had overlapped into space.
The Swiss full-back delivered a low cross, but Piqué intercepted it at the near post.
By now, Napoli's entire formation had pushed higher up the pitch.
Rakitic won the clearance with a well-timed header, nodding the ball backward toward his own half where Thiago Motta collected it.
The Brazilian immediately passed diagonally to Biglia.
Touré, realizing his mistake, tried to recover. He sprinted toward Biglia but arrived a moment too late.
Biglia shifted the ball wide to Vargas, who passed it further along the flank to Sánchez.
The Chilean winger received the ball and immediately drove diagonally toward the penalty area.
Cavani read the movement perfectly.
As Sánchez cut inside, Cavani sprinted toward the left byline, dragging Busquets with him.
Sánchez slipped a pass to Cavani's feet.
Alves and Busquets panicked, fearing a cross into the box. Both defenders lunged toward Cavani.
But Cavani stopped dead and backheeled the ball.
Sánchez, who had continued his diagonal run, met the pass at full speed.
Valdés rushed out to close the angle.
Piqué abandoned his position to block the shot, leaving Rakitic and Di María unmarked in front of goal.
Sánchez skipped past Piqué with a delicate touch.
Then, with surgical precision, he gently squared the ball across the face of goal.
Rakitic, under pressure from Puyol, feinted and let the ball roll past him.
Behind them, Di María was waiting.
The Argentine stood completely unmarked near the back post.
The ball rolled to his feet.
With Valdés sprawled out and the goal gaping, Di María calmly side-footed the ball toward the net.
The stadium collectively held its breath.
The ball trickled across the line.
Barcelona's net bulged.
***
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