Kolo Toure: Yaya is just like Eric Cantona

Matt Stead

Liverpool defender Kolo Toure has compared his brother Yaya to Manchester United legend Eric Cantona.

Brother Yaya caused controversy late last week after his angry outburst at failing to win a fifth consecutive African Footballer of the Year award, losing out to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon and Borussia Dortmund.

The Manchester City midfielder has a history of giving vexed interviews – some at his perceived negative treatment from the media – since moving to England in 2010. Liverpool defender and brother Kolo believes he is similar to United legend Cantona in that respect.

Asked whether he had spoken to his brother since his latest outburst, Toure told the Liverpool Echo: “To be honest, no, I haven’t spoken to Yaya. He will be angry with me as well!

“Yaya is a good player and sometimes like Eric Cantona, that’s the way he is. He’s a winner and when he doesn’t win everything goes crazy a little bit.

“For me he deserved that. You can’t be the only one in contention for the Ballon d’Or from Africa and we [the Ivory Coast] won the African Cup of Nations. These are points that need to be mentioned, that’s why he was expecting to win.

“Of course there are people who decide. I’ll always be with my brother but this is the game, sometimes you lose, sometimes you win.

“Yaya reacted the way that he did because he’s a winner. Deep inside I know he’s a nice guy.

“Sometimes he says things he doesn’t have to say because other people can say it for him.”