Yaya Touré

"As a coach I am really proud to work for Spurs because the path they are giving to the African and Asian coaches, they have been doing it for ages, and its brilliant. I respect that and I am fully grateful for that."

"When players retire from football, some think they should carry on more but for me I was relieved and happy"

"In the beginning it was tough because of the culture, the food, the acclimatisation - I needed to adapt"

"Since I arrived there my head just clicked, I knew I needed to adapt. It took me six or seven months, but I do it."

"At that time there were so many boys, seven boys, I started to be dedicated because, for me, the ball was my breathing time."

"I started to love football in Bouake when I was younger," he explained. "My oldest brother, he loves football, and he was playing for a team on the street close to the community. After that, my other brother Kolo started playing and I followed his path."