In 2018, Ivorian football legend, Yaya Toure through his agent predicted that Pep Guardiola was under an African curse and will never win the Champions League.
Fast forward in 2021, Manchester City went to the Champions League final after winning the Premier League and lo and behold, they were beaten by Chelsea by a goal to nil. The goal came in the 42nd minute through Kai Havertz and that was the end.
Let’s revisit the pronouncement made by Yaya Toure through his agent in 2018 which has manifested on May 29, 2021, in the life of Pep Guardiola and Manchester City.
Dmitri Seluk, Yaya Toure’s agent, has predicted an “African curse” will prevent Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola from ever winning the UEFA Champions League again.
It comes in the wake of recent comments from ex-City midfielder Toure, who told France Football (via BBC Sport) that Guardiola “often has problems with Africans” on Monday.
Seluk and Guardiola have endured a frosty relationship during the Ivorian’s spells at Barcelona and City.
On Tuesday, Seluk told Sport24 (h/t Goal.com) Guardiola is “a worthless person” before his prediction:
“The way he acted towards Yaya, a club legend, coming up with various pretexts not to let him play. … He has set all of Africa against him, many African fans have turned away from Manchester City.
“And I am sure that many African shamans will not let Guardiola win the Champions League in future. It will be like an African curse on Guardiola. Time will tell if I am right or not.”
The Russian agent also called Guardiola’s appointment in Manchester “nasty” because his predecessor, Manuel Pellegrini, was still in the job at the time. He was also disdainful of the 47-year-old’s record at Bayern Munich and insisted his achievements so far at City are not that impressive given how much he has spent.
Toure, 35, played his final game for City against Brighton & Hove Albion in May and departed the club as a three-time Premier League winner.
However, the Brighton appearance was his only Premier League start of last term, and he never featured as prominently in a City shirt following Guardiola’s appointment in 2016.
Seluk also proffered a come-and-get-me plea of sorts for Toure amid the Guardiola bashing.
Per Sport24 (h/t the Telegraph) he said: “At a time when huge sums are being spent in England for the purchase of football players, I officially declare that Yaya is ready to move as a free agent to any English club in the top six with a salary of £1 a week—but for certain successes to make a bonus system.”
If true, that could prove an attractive option for the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool, not least for the experience Toure would bring.
Source: Bleacher Report, Goal.com, BBC Sports & Telegraph