According to former midfielder Yaya Toure, the Barca squad that won the treble in 2009 was enough to beɑt Pep Guardiola’s current Man City.
“Thierry Henry, Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o were all the best players in the world. Behind them were Xavi and Andres Iniesta, then me and Sergio Busquets. It was the perfect team,” Toure told Sport. Mail on 9/7.
“It will be an even competition, but in my opinion, Barca in 2009, with the combination of superstars, will definitely win if they play the current Man City.”
Toure (third from left, front row) in the 2009 Barca squad.
Toure played for Barca from 2007 to 2010, as a midfielder. He started as a central defender in the 2008-2009 Champions League final, when Barca beɑt Man Utd 2-0. The former Ivory Coast international also won two La Ligas, a King’s Cup, a Spanish Super Cup, a European Super Cup and a Club World Cup.
In 2010, due to not being able to compete for a position in midfield due to Pep Guardiola’s favor with Sergio Busquets, Toure moved to Man City. Here, he helped the Etihad Stadium team win the Premier League for the first time in the 2011-2012 season and then win two more titles in 2014 and 2018. Toure also won an FA Cup, two League Cups and an English Super Cup.
“Being in the Barca squad that year was like a dream. Even our training sessions were extremely stressful. Every day was like that. Imagine Iniesta at 24 years old. Xavi at 28 years old. … It was the peak period for those two players,” Toure said.
On June 9, Toure was present at Ataturk Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey to watch the final, where Man City beɑt Inter 1-0, thereby winning the Champions League for the first time. This is a historic milestone for the Etihad Stadium team. Even Toure could not achieve it while playing, although at that time, Man City emerged as a force against traditional rich clubs like Man Utd or Liverpool.
“I predicted this before. When I moved to Man City, I believed that one day the club would become great, even surpassing Man Utd. At that time, not many people believed that statement. Man City has not yet recruited good players like Sergio Aguero or David Silva. However, although it takes time, Man City has received respect in the football village, “said the 40-year-old former midfielder.
Toure did not play at the club level after leaving the Chinese team Qingdao Huanghai in 2020. From 2021, he started working as an assistant coach in the teams Olimpik Donetsk, Akhmat Grozny. Last season, Toure returned to England as coach of the Tottenham U16 team. But from June 2023, the former midfielder left Tottenham to go to Belgium, working as deputy coach at Standard Liege.
