Former Ivory Coast international Yaya Toure has revealed that he was close to signing for PSG at the start of his career.
In the summer of 2004, while playing for KSK Beveren (Belgium), where he had been for two and a half seasons, the player with 97 caps for the Elephants was courted by the Parisian club. Ultimately, however, Toure ended up moving to Ukraine, signing with Metalurg Donetsk. A decision the midfielder found very difficult to accept.
“I didn’t want to go to Ukraine. For me, Paris Saint-Germain or another club in France were the best options. They snatched it away from me,” he recalled in an interview with French streamer Zack Nani.
A transfer that fell through for purely financial reasons. “I know the details. PSG wanted to pay in two instalments, while the Ukrainian club offered to pay cash,” explained Toure, who was deeply affected by this unexpected turn of events at the time.
“The people close to me didn’t respect my wishes. It hurt me a lot, I was very angry. I signed in Ukraine, but it was like having a knife to my throat. If I didn’t go, I would have to return to Africa, and it was difficult for me to return to Africa. It stayed in my mind throughout my career, but it helped me enormously because it allowed me to progress and develop.”
A year and a half after arriving in Ukraine, Toure joined Olympiacos, where his sole season in Greece was followed by a stellar career that took him to Monaco, FC Barcelona and Manchester City.
