Kolo Touré facts for kids
Touré lining up for the Ivory Coast in 2012
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 19 March 1981 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bouaké, Ivory Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre-back | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ASEC Mimosas | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2002 | ASEC Mimosas | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2009 | Arsenal | 225 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2013 | Manchester City | 82 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2016 | Liverpool | 46 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Celtic | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 362 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2015 | Ivory Coast | 120 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Wigan Athletic | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Kolo Abib Touré (born 19 March 1981) is a famous Ivorian (from Ivory Coast) football manager and former player. He was a strong defender during his playing days. He recently managed Wigan Athletic, a football club in England.
Kolo Touré started his career as a defender with ASEC Mimosas in Ivory Coast. In 2002, he moved to the English team Arsenal. He played 326 games for Arsenal. He was part of the amazing "Invincibles" team in the 2003–04 season. That team won the league without losing a single game!
In 2009, he joined Manchester City. His younger brother, Yaya Touré, joined him there a year later. Together, they helped Manchester City win their first league title in 44 years. Kolo Touré is one of only ten players to win the Premier League with two different clubs. He won it with both Arsenal and Manchester City. He also won the Scottish Premiership and Scottish League Cup with Celtic in Scotland. He has played the most Premier League games (353 in total) of any African player.
Kolo Touré played for the Ivory Coast national team 120 times between 2000 and 2015. This makes him the player with the second-most appearances for his country. He played in three FIFA World Cup tournaments: 2006, 2010, and 2014. He also played in seven Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He helped Ivory Coast finish second in 2006 and 2012. Finally, he helped them win the tournament in 2015.
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Club Career Highlights
Kolo Touré played for several top clubs during his career. He was known for his strength, speed, and leadership on the field.
Playing for Arsenal
Kolo Touré was born in Bouaké, Ivory Coast. He joined Premier League team Arsenal in England in February 2002. He came from ASEC Mimosas for a fee of £150,000.
He played his first game for Arsenal on 11 August 2002. It was a 1–0 win against Liverpool in the FA Community Shield. He started his Arsenal career playing in different positions, like defensive midfielder and right-back. He scored his first goal for Arsenal against Chelsea on 1 September.
For the 2003–04 season, Arsenal's manager, Arsène Wenger, started playing Touré as a central defender. He played alongside Sol Campbell. Touré learned a lot from older player Martin Keown. That season, Arsenal won the league without losing any games. They were called the "Invincibles."
In the 2004–05 season, Touré continued to play an important role. He helped Arsenal win the FA Cup that season. He played 50 games and scored one goal. His only goal that season in Europe was against Bayern Munich.
During the 2005–06 season, Touré formed a strong defensive partnership with Philippe Senderos. They helped Arsenal reach the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. They kept 10 clean sheets (no goals conceded) in a row, which was a record in European competitions.
Touré scored his second European goal on 19 April 2006. It was the winning goal in the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Villarreal CF. This goal helped Arsenal reach their first ever Champions League Final.
In October 2006, Touré signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal. He also captained the club for the first time in January 2007. He led Arsenal in the League Cup final against Chelsea, which they lost 2–1.
Moving to Manchester City
On 28 July 2009, Kolo Touré moved to Manchester City. The club paid £14 million for him. He signed a four-year contract. Manchester City had been signing many new players. Touré hoped to help them become a top team. The manager, Mark Hughes, made him the club captain.
He scored his first goal for Manchester City in a League Cup game against Fulham. He scored his first league goal against Burnley in November 2009. Manchester City finished fifth that season. On 2 July 2010, Kolo's brother, Yaya Touré, also joined Manchester City.
In the 2010–11 season, Roberto Mancini became the manager. He gave the captain's armband to Carlos Tevez. However, Touré still played regularly in defence.
In the 2011–12 season, Touré played 14 league games. Manchester City won the Premier League title that season. It was their first league title in 44 years.
Time at Liverpool
On 28 May 2013, Liverpool announced they would sign Touré for free. He joined them on 2 July and was given the number 4 shirt. He signed a two-year contract.
He played his first Premier League game for Liverpool on 17 August 2013. It was a 1–0 win against Stoke City. In February 2014, he made a mistake against West Bromwich Albion, which led to an opponent's goal. A few days later, he scored an own-goal against Fulham. Liverpool still won that game.
Liverpool almost won the league title in 2013–14. If they had, Touré would have been the first player since World War II to win the league with three different clubs.
On 1 March 2015, Kolo Touré played against his brother Yaya for the first time in a competitive match. Liverpool won the game 2–1.
Touré scored his first goal for Liverpool on 14 February 2016. It was a header from a corner kick against Aston Villa. This goal helped Liverpool win 6–0. It was his first goal in any match since January 2011. He left Liverpool at the end of the 2015–16 season.
Playing for Celtic
On 24 July 2016, Touré joined Celtic in Scotland. He reunited with his former manager, Brendan Rodgers. He signed a one-year contract. He played his first game for Celtic on 3 August 2016. It was a Champions League qualifier against FC Astana.
He played 20 games for Celtic. The team had an amazing season, winning three trophies: the League, the Cup, and the League Cup. Celtic finished the season without losing a single domestic game. Touré was not offered a new playing contract after that season.
In September 2017, Touré announced he was retiring from playing football. He then took on a coaching role with Celtic.
International Career
Kolo Touré played his first game for the Ivory Coast in April 2000. It was against Rwanda. He played in all five games for Ivory Coast in the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations. They finished second to the host country, Egypt.
He was part of the Ivory Coast squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He played his first World Cup game on 11 June 2006 against Argentina. He also played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He was the captain in the first game against Portugal. On 10 August 2010, Touré scored the only goal in a friendly game against Italy.
In December 2014, Touré said he would retire from international football after the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. He played his last game in the final of that tournament on 8 February 2015. Ivory Coast beat Ghana 9–8 in a penalty shootout after a 0–0 draw. Touré scored his penalty. On 15 February 2015, he officially confirmed his retirement from international football.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Kolo Touré started a coaching career. On 9 August 2017, the Ivorian Football Federation made him a coach for their national teams. He also joined Celtic's coaching staff as a technical assistant in September 2017.
In February 2019, Brendan Rodgers left Celtic to manage Leicester City. Kolo Touré joined him there as a first team coach.
Managing Wigan Athletic
On 29 November 2022, Wigan Athletic appointed Kolo Touré as their first team manager. He signed a three-and-a-half-year deal. However, his time there was short. On 2 January 2023, his team lost their third game in a row. They dropped to last place in the Championship league. Touré was sacked by Wigan on 26 January 2023. The club was still at the bottom of the league, and he had not won any of his nine games in charge.
Personal Life
Kolo Touré has two younger brothers, Ibrahim Touré and Yaya Touré. Both of them were also professional footballers. Sadly, Ibrahim passed away from cancer in 2014 at the age of 28. Kolo also has a sister named Belinda.
Kolo Touré is a Muslim. He observes fasting during the Islamic month of Ramadan. He has said that fasting makes him feel stronger. He believes you can do it when you have strong faith in something.
Touré is married to Awo. They have a son and a daughter. His son, Yassine, is also trying to become a football player. He signed a scholarship with Leicester City in December 2021.
Honours
Kolo Touré won many trophies during his playing career:
Arsenal
- Premier League: 2003–04
- FA Cup: 2002–03, 2004–05
- FA Community Shield: 2002, 2004
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2006–07
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2005–06
Manchester City
- Premier League: 2011–12
- FA Community Shield: 2012
Liverpool
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2015–16
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2015–16
Celtic
- Scottish Premiership: 2016–17
- Scottish League Cup: 2016–17
Ivory Coast
- Africa Cup of Nations: 2015
Individual Awards
- Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2015
Images for kids
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Touré playing for Ivory Coast in 2012
See also
In Spanish: Kolo Touré para niños
- List of footballers with 100 or more caps
