Yaya Toure hit by tidal wave of scorn after 'birthday snub'
Claims midfielder wants to leave Man City over of the size of his birthday cake do not go down well
Yaya Toure has been branded a "spoiled brat", a "ludicrous wuss", a "stupid egotistical big baby" and much, much worse, after confirming yesterday that he was considering leaving Manchester City because the club did not wish him 'happy birthday' in suitable fashion last week.
The Ivory Coast midfielder, reportedly paid £200,000 a week by his club, turned 31 on Tuesday last week, and by happy coincidence his anniversary coincided with a lavish party thrown for the Premier League-winning City players at the five-star St Regis Resort Hotel on Abu Dhabi.
But it was in this rarefied atmosphere that City bigwigs apparently disrespected and humiliated Toure – by presenting him with an inadequate birthday cake and not making an effort to shake his hand.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The story emerged on Tuesday via Toure's agent, Dimitry Seluk, who said that his client was thinking of leaving the club because of the disrespect it had shown him. At first the claims were treated with scepticism, which later turned to bewilderment and then astonishment as it became apparent that the story wasn't a hoax.
Seluk did little to help his or his client's cause by pointing out that former Brazilian star Roberto Carlos was once presented with a Bugatti on his birthday by Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala.
Unsurprisingly, the result was a tidal wave of abuse. Toure was ridiculed on social media as his name became the top trend on Twitter.
Having run the gauntlet on Twitter, Toure was subjected to a second wave of scorn from traditional media.
"Even in a game drunk on money and tarnished by preening popinjays, this act of vanity almost carries the power to astonish," gasps Jonathan McEvoy in the Daily Mail. He blames not only "ego-mad players and greedy agents", but also the clubs who indulge them.
"We're used to professional athletes behaving like little children," says Alan Tyers of the Daily Telegraph. But it comes as a shock to see Toure, who is a "warrior-king" on the field, behaving like "an overtired six-year-old girl" off it.
Has there ever been such a "ludicrous excuse" for leaving a football club "as the nonsense dreamt up by Toure and his representative yesterday," wonders James Ducker of The Times. Simply asking for a transfer would have at least been "rational" he adds. "Yet by concocting a story that would embarrass a 13-year-old... Toure and Seluk served only to make fools of themselves."
He is particularly aggrieved as Toure's moaning comes after a season in which City "could not have done much more to accommodate the Ivorian", backing him over disciplinary issues and in a racism row involving CSKA Moscow, as well as making him their highest-paid player.
Even at a club that has had to deal with the likes of Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli in recent years, "Cakegate, as it is certain to become known, leaves a distinctly unpleasant taste in the mouth", he adds.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Codeword: November 21, 2024
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
The mental health crisis affecting vets
Under The Radar Death of Hampshire vet highlights mental health issues plaguing the industry
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Onion is having a very ironic laugh with Infowars
The Explainer The satirical newspaper is purchasing the controversial website out of bankruptcy
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The wit and wisdom of Sven-Göran Eriksson
In Depth The first foreign coach to manage England on football, life and death
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Premier League's spending cap: levelling the playing field?
Talking Point Top clubs oppose plans to link spending to income of lowest-earning club, but rule could prevent success gap from widening
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is a new English football regulator an own goal for the game?
Talking Point PM hails 'historic moment for football fans' but West Ham owner warns it could 'ruin' Premier League
By The Week UK Published
-
2023-2024 Premier League predictions: champions, relegation and golden boot
feature A look at the top flight talking points and pundit picks for the new season
By Mike Starling Published
-
‘Genuine visionary’: is Pep Guardiola the greatest of all time?
feature Spaniard has now won two trebles following Man City’s Champions League triumph
By The Week Staff Published
-
Champions League final: Man City vs. Inter predictions and preview
feature Can Guardiola’s team finally win the Champions League and complete a historic treble?
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Man City: can ‘one of the best sides in history’ win the treble?
feature Guardiola’s Premier League champions have two more trophies in their sights
By The Week Staff Published
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictions
feature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
By Mike Starling Last updated