Former Manchester City and Barcelona star Yaya Touré has been appointed as the new head coach of Slovak champions Slovan Bratislava, with the club confirming that the Ivorian football legend has signed a three-year contract.
The appointment marks a major milestone in Touré’s coaching career as he takes charge of Slovakia’s most successful club and 32-time league champions ahead of the new season.
Slovan Bratislava announced the deal after concluding negotiations with the 43-year-old former midfielder, who succeeds long-serving coach Vladimír Weiss and will officially begin work with the team on Monday as the club embarks on what officials have described as a new era.
Club Chief Executive Officer Ivan Kmotrík Jr. said Touré emerged as the standout candidate from the beginning of the selection process, praising his ambition, football pedigree and vision for the future of the club.
“First of all, I am very happy that Yaya Touré is our new head coach. I am delighted that we agreed on a three-year contract and that we will begin building a new era of Slovan Bratislava together from Monday,” Kmotrík said.
The Slovan executive acknowledged the challenge of replacing Weiss but insisted the club was determined to bring in a coach with elite-level experience and a strong desire to succeed in management.
“My goal was to bring in a person and personality who has experienced football at the highest world level and at the same time has enormous motivation to succeed as a coach,” he said.
Kmotrík revealed that several meetings were held with Touré before the appointment was finalized, adding that the former Ivory Coast captain made an immediate impression during their first video conversation.
“From Yaya, you can feel a great desire and motivation to succeed as a coach with Slovan Bratislava. We have common high goals, we are both young and ambitious, and we will do everything possible to make the club successful,” he added.
Further details regarding Touré’s coaching staff and technical team are expected to be unveiled during an official presentation and press conference scheduled for Monday.
Speaking after his appointment, Touré expressed excitement about taking charge of the Slovak giants and beginning his first major project as a head coach.
“I am very happy and excited. I honestly cannot wait until we start working together on Monday,” Touré said.
The former midfielder paid tribute to his predecessor while outlining his ambitions for the club.
“My predecessor deserves great respect for what he achieved with Slovan. I want to build on that and at the same time bring something new and my own ideas.”
Touré said he intends to implement an attacking and dominant style of football capable of delivering victories and entertaining supporters.
“Football is everything to me. I love challenges and I am extremely excited to coach a big club with a rich history, a beautiful stadium and high ambitions. With Slovan, I want to play dominant football, win matches and control games so that we can make our fans happy,” he stated.
The former Manchester City icon also disclosed that he had already begun studying the squad ahead of pre-season preparations.
“I have tried to study the team in as much detail as possible, but the most important thing will be to see how the players react directly in training,” he said.
Touré noted that while he gained valuable experience working as an assistant coach under renowned managers, including Roberto Mancini with the Saudi Arabia national team, he had long been eager to lead his own project.
“As an assistant, I had the opportunity to work with Roberto Mancini, but for a long time I wanted the opportunity to work on my own project as a head coach. I appreciate that this opportunity comes at a top club,” he said.
One of Africa’s greatest footballers, Touré enjoyed a glittering playing career that took him from Belgium’s Beveren to Metalurh Donetsk, Olympiacos and AS Monaco before joining Barcelona. At the Catalan club, he won two La Liga titles and the UEFA Champions League before making a high-profile move to Manchester City in 2010.
Touré became one of the defining figures of City’s rise to domestic dominance, helping the club win three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and several other major trophies during an eight-year spell. He scored 82 goals for City despite primarily operating as a midfielder and remains one of the most influential players in the club’s modern history.
Internationally, he represented Ivory Coast at three FIFA World Cups and captained the Elephants to victory at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
Since retiring from professional football, Touré has steadily built his coaching résumé. He worked with Olimpik Donetsk, Akhmat Grozny, Tottenham Hotspur’s academy and Belgian side Standard Liège before joining Roberto Mancini’s backroom staff with Saudi Arabia’s national team from 2023 until October 2024.
Now, with his first major managerial role secured, Touré faces the challenge of maintaining Slovan Bratislava’s domestic dominance while guiding the club to further success in European competitions.
