Explore popular quotes and sayings by an Ivorian athlete Kolo Toure.
Last updated on November 21, 2024.
Kolo Abib Touré is an Ivorian professional football coach and former player. He played as a defender for Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Celtic and the Ivory Coast national team. He is currently a first team coach at Leicester City as well as a member of the coaching staff for the Ivory Coast national team.
I had problems with certain players at Arsenal, especially one, whose name I will not say because I don't want to feed the controversy.
It is all about working hard, focusing and doing our job.
When I played football I wanted to make people happy. This is the way I am. I can't be someone else.
Whether I start or not, I will do whatever I can in whatever way to play my part.
I love playing at the same club as my brother.
It is very difficult to leave your team for a month to play in the African Nations. But you are playing for your country, for your father, for your family, for your pride.
As players, we have the best job in the world and if the manager said, 'You haven't worked hard enough, you will only get half your wages this week,' it would make the players fight harder.
For me, life is about being happy. Life is about enjoying and that's it.
For me the most important is the club, the team.
I want to talk to players, that is the way I am. That is what I bring. I will keep doing that, it doesn't matter what happens, anywhere I go.
My wish was to finish my career at Arsenal, but there are always banana skins.
My dream is to win the World Cup with an African team, for my continent.
Sometimes people, not the players, play the game before it's started and that's a problem because there are no small teams in the Premiership.
We all want to be champion.
You know I've been at Arsenal which is a top club and every week you have to fight for your place.
A season is like a marathon and there will be plenty of ups and downs.
We are professional players and when we go out we want to play well and win.
I remember the best defenders were Baresi and Cannavaro - you don't have to be really tall.
You know that in a lot of games it is only decided towards the end. Players get tired and when you have that push from your fans you can feel the difference.
My job is to try do the best for the team, like every other player.
I'm a professional footballer and, to me, playing regularly is the most important thing; money is secondary.
I think it's very important to have a good defensive team.
I love Africa. I am very grateful for everything I have in Europe but everything I'm learning I want to help my continent to get better - in football as well.
I love Arsenal, it's the club of my heart.
Martin Keown was really competitive but Thierry Henry was similar, he wanted to win every game.
Kieran Tierney is a lot like Ashley Cole in the way that he bombs up and down the flanks and that he is also so physically strong. He plays every game as well. He is not the tallest but he is a fighter and he is strong. He crosses, gets back and defends. He is a very good player.
You cannot have a place in the team - even if you are an international - if you don't show what you can do in training.
Every game is challenging and sometimes things don't go well for you but you need to be able to come back and carry on fighting.
I can learn so much from working with Brendan Rodgers, he is a top manager.
Ask anybody - every day at training I give everything.
There is great respect for Liverpool in the Ivory Coast.
I will keep playing for the national team until I feel I can't offer them anything.
Any team can fall down but it's about how they react to defeat that matters.
Yaya was much better than Sergio Busquets at Barcelona. But he was behind him in the pecking order and he found that hard to accept. I advised him to come to Manchester City while I was still there.
I was better than certain players at Manchester City but I was left on the bench. Before I left the club, I told the people in charge that they would regret letting me go.
You can't ever give up. When you refuse to lose games, you often find yourself winning them.
I have never looked to put a spoke in anyone's wheel at all.
The only thing you can bring players in with is money or, if you are like Arsenal, you wait for your youngsters to come in, but that can take a while.
Every season when I win a trophy I'm just so happy.
When the league starts you know that anything can happen.
If you want to be successful, you need to work as a team.
I need to work hard and that is alright by me.
When you don't play, you need to support the team and your team-mates need to feel that you are behind them fully.
Everybody wants to play for Pep.
Kieran Tierney's work rate is just amazing. He gives 100 percent in every game, he makes lots of runs and makes lots of assists too. He defends, he goes forward, he is every inch the modern left back.
With team spirit, you can win anything.
When you do a good tackle, or block, the Kop they really appreciate that and they let you know it.
Baresi was not tall but he was a great player, while Cannavaro was the best defender in the world - hopefully I will be the same.
When you play for big clubs you have more chance to win trophies.
I have always been the kind of player who tries to help those around me.
Always, always, for a team like City, it's difficult to go for a season without winning one trophy.
It's not easy when you have to make a lot of changes.
You need to be honest, even if you hurt people.
Managers come to clubs bringing players with them and they want to pick them at all costs - whether they are any good or not.
Wenger is a top manager, he has shown that unbelievably. The thing I like is this manager can make an average player one of the best players in the world.
Individuals are very important but team spirit is the key - it is the most important thing.
Stephen Keshi is a good coach and he has changed Nigeria into a respectable team.
In official competitions there are mistakes you don't make or you pay for it dearly.
I won the title with Arsenal in 2004 and it is harder to defend it the following season.
For me, I'm a fighter and I like to play for big clubs because that's where you improve yourself. Every day at training you have to give a hundred per cent to be picked by your manager.