Toure Yaya signs FC Barcelona contract to keep him at Camp Nou till the year 2011 with a 90 Million Euro buy-out clause.


Toure Yaya made history as the first Ivorien to join FC Barcelona, after the 24-year old midfielder signed for the Catalan giants in a four year deal worth around 9 Million Euros, with outstanding, performance based payments of around 3 Million Euros to be paid later to his former club, Metarlurg Donetsk of Ukraine, who jointly owned Yaya along with AS Monaco of France before the move to FC Barcelona.
Toure, who said he will like be known not as Yaya Toure, but rather as Toure Yaya, explained his change of name was a private decision taken after discussion with his wife. Thus, accordingly, the name Toure Yaya was boldly printed on his Number 17 jersey, which he will be wearing at Barca. Toure Yaya will also not be playing under the non-EU quota at Barcelona, since the Ivorien is due for EU citizenhip in a few weeks.

Yaya had made no reservations about his intentions to play for Barcelona, saying:

I am very happy to play for Barcelona. I will give my best to Barca as this is a dream come true. I really wanted to play for barcelona and now I have the opportunity to do so. I know this comes with a lot of expectations and challenges, and I am ready to meet the challenges ahead. I am prepared to play and to impress. Barcelona play great football and this attracts any good player. I want to be a part of this and to play quality football.

FC Barcelona president, Joan Laporta was satisfied with the signing and expressed confidence in Yaya's ability:

Toure is one of those players that it is essential for a good club to have. He has a great on-the-field presence, is physically strong and technically superb. He has everything required to become a key player for a great team like Barcelona.

Supporting Laporta's comments, FC Barcelona Technical Secretary, Txiki Begiristain, who had been tracking Yaya since the Ivorien's days at Greek Club, Olympiakos, said:

He is strong, hard, difficult to beat and has great distribution.

Txiki also enthused that Yaya, who has been often compared to both Patrick Vieira and Julio Baptista, should be assessed on his own merits and standards,saying:

Yaya is a player in the mould of Vieira, but I would ask for comparisons not to be drawn as that only adds more pressure. He is the ideal link to strengthen the current imbalance between the defence and the attack.

After the contract signing and press conference, Toure Yaya went out to meet the FC barcelona fans, acknowldging loud cheers from the excited fans who within just two days, came out again to cheer Barca's second signing after the landing of Thierry Henry from Arsenal FC.