It’s always a bit of a shame when a great player ends up playing for too long and doesn’t go out on top of their game. You have to think this isn’t how Yaya Toure thought his career would end.
He’s still been playing at the age of 36 in China. Being sent off in your final game can sometimes seem heroic – think Zidane in the World Cup – but this kick out is a fairly poor way to go.
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To make it even worse, he was sent off after only 10 seconds:
In the last match of the season, Yaya Toure was sent off just 10 seconds into the game due to a retaliatory kick. Qingdao Huanghai, having secured promotion, were beaten by Nantong Zhiyun in front of home fans. It might be the last moment of the 36-year-old midfielder in China. pic.twitter.com/CU2SSF2bBz
— Titan Sports Plus (@titan_plus) November 2, 2019
Serkan K?r?nt?l? ? Yaya Toure.
Çin Süper Ligi’ne ç?kmay? garantileyen ve sezonun son maç?na ç?kan Qingdao Huanghai’de Yaya Toure, henüz 10. saniyede yapt??? hareket nedeniyle k?rm?z? kart gördü. (K?rm?z? kart VAR sonras? verildi) pic.twitter.com/BMHpeAbAyX
— Ajansspor (@ajansspor) November 2, 2019
He will go down as one of the greatest midfielders in Man City and Premier League history. The arrival of Pep Guardiola did spell the end of his career at The Etihad, but he was an integral part of some title winning teams.
He also had a great spell with Barcelona where he won the Champions League and La Liga. Hopefully this isn’t how he ends his career, but it’s tough to see where he goes from here.