Former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has explained how he thinks the Premier League will help boost the chances of an African nation lifting the World Cup.
The Ivorian, currently working with Tottenham Hotspur, says the increasing number of African players in the English top tier is encouraging as the players can compare themselves with the best in the world.
“Before, a small number of African players were coming to play in the Premier League and now we are seeing more and more,” Toure said during a one-on-one chat with midfielder Yves Bissouma on Spurs TV.
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“That is encouraging for the African continent and as well for the players to develop and compare themselves with the South Americans and Europeans because the Premier League is showing around the world.
“For me, it is very positive for the continent because you see African players joining top Premier League clubs.
“For example, you Bissouma coming to Tottenham, Eric Bailly was at Manchester United for quite some time. We have [Nicolas] Pepe [currently on loan with Ligue 1 club Nice] in Arsenal and [Wilfried] Zaha of Crystal Palace. All this is good for the continent because our dream as Africans is that we want to achieve and win the World Cup one day.”
Toure’s sentiments come after Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly said it is time an African nation delivers the global trophy.
“We still remember the 2018 World Cup because we could have done better. We failed to qualify from the group stage and I was very sad about going home that early,” Koulibaly said.
“It is going to be even more difficult for us now we are the African champions because all the teams will be careful [when playing against us] and for me, I think it is time an African country delivers and wins the World Cup because we are a very determined continent.”
Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Cameroon, and Morocco are the nations that will carry the African hope in the Qatar November-December finals.
Source: Goal
