‘He’s a snake, he’s evil’ — Yaya Toure reveals how Guardiola and his wife pushed him towards Man City move

Yaya Toure has opened up once again about his turbulent relationship with Pep Guardiola, revealing new details about how his wife and inner circle viewed the Barcelona coach before his move to Manchester City.

In a fresh interview on Zack en Roue Libre, relayed by Olt Sports, the Ivorian midfield icon shared how deep the tensions ran during his final months at Camp Nou.

Toure described a moment in 2010 when Guardiola called to convince him to stay at Barcelona, despite marginalising him throughout the season.

According to the midfielder, “The Barcelona coach calls me at the time and says, ‘You have to come back, it’s important.’” But at home, the reaction was fiery. “My wife tells me, ‘You’re really going to listen to that nonsense? He humiliated you, now he wants you to stay? Are you going to stay? Let’s go to Manchester.’”

He added that his wife held strong views about Guardiola’s behaviour, telling him, “Him? Shaitan. He’s not a man, he’s a snake, he’s evil.”

Toure explained that despite shining at the 2010 World Cup, Guardiola still attempted to keep him after barely playing him for a full season, which only strengthened the family’s belief that the coach was being disingenuous.

His frustrations dated back to Guardiola’s second season, when he was often deployed out of position at centre-back and completed a full 90 minutes only nine times. Feeling unwanted and undervalued, Toure chose to leave Barcelona for Manchester City, where his career would explode.

Toure went on to become one of the Premier League’s dominant midfielders, helping City win their first league title and earning global recognition for his performances.

However, when Guardiola arrived in Manchester in 2016, the pair’s strained dynamic resurfaced almost immediately.

The midfielder was excluded from City’s Champions League squad, prompting his agent to accuse Guardiola of humiliating him.

Guardiola refused to reintegrate Toure until he received an apology, one the player eventually issued on behalf of his agent. Yet even after that, Toure featured in just ten Premier League games in his final season before leaving the club.

More than a decade after his departure from Barcelona, Toure’s latest comments show that the wounds from his time under Guardiola have not fully healed.