FIFA World Cup 2014: Ivory Coast’s Yaya Toure figure Toure up for African pride

Abidjan: Ivory Coast midfield Colossus Yaya Toure has few obvious reasons to be unhappy he is enormously successful, earns more than $350,000 a week at Manchester City and will soon play at the World Cup.

Yet Toure says the fact he comes from Africa means he is not properly appreciated. “In the minds of people, they think Africans are like animals, are not human beings,” he told the BBC in April, saying he was determined to raise the continent’s profile during the finals in Brazil.

Toure’s uncompromising comments reflect a drive for success that took the powerfully built player to Belgium at the age of 18 and then in quick succession to teams in Ukraine, Greece and France before he signed for Barcelona in 2007. The 31-year-old was part of the team that won the Spanish title in 2009 and beat Manchester United in the final of the Champions League, a match where he showed his flexibility by playing out of position at centre-back.

But frustrated by a lack of playing time and tempted by the enormous salary on offer, he moved to Manchester City the next year, reuniting with his elder brother Kolo.

The move was a great success and Toure can hardly complain about being overlooked this year. He made the shortlist for the players’ Player of the Year award in England and was named African Player of the Year for the third consecutive year. Yet what he perceives as second-class treatment of African players by fans, media and the soccer establishment upsets him. Everyone in Africa knows who Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is, he told the BBC.

“But when you come to Europe and say ‘Yaya Toure’ they say ‘Who is that?’ Some of them will hear my name but they don’t know my face,” he said. He says other under-appreciated top players include Ivory Coast teammate Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o.