Yaya Toure will celebrate his 32nd birthday today by picking up a staggering £720,000 (€1million) bonus from Manchester City after they qualified for the Champions League.
The midfielder had the clause built into his contract when he moved to the Etihad Stadium in 2010. City secured Champions League football for next season at the weekend when they beat QPR and are one win away from a guaranteed place in the group stage of the competition.
Toure’s agent Dimitri Seluk last year accused City of failing to make enough of an effort to acknowledge his client’s birthday.
In fact, the club presented their Ivory Coast star with two birthday cakes and shared their best wishes with millions of followers on social media. But it was not enough for Seluk, who pointed out that Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala once bought Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos a £800,000 Bugatti car.
But the one thing Toure and his agent have never had cause to complain about is the staggering sums of money paid to him over the course of his contract.
The former Barcelona midfielder is paid a basic salary of £220,000 a week and signed a new four-year contract in April 2013.
Toure has massive bonuses incorporated into the deal, which includes £357,000 (€500,000) if City win the Champions League.
Despite his huge contract, Toure’s agent claimed last week that the midfielder is ‘90 per cent’ certain to leave the Etihad at the end of the season.
Toure has not been the same driving force this season and he has been linked with a move to Juventus as a makeweight in a deal to sign Paul Pogba.
Inter Milan manager and former City boss Roberto Mancini is also said to be interested but there is a massive stumbling block over the size of Toure’s wages and the length of his contract.
The player himself did little to play down the speculation yesterday when he appeared at Wembley to launch a FIFA initiative aimed at tackling racism.
‘Today the case of the racism is more important than my future,’ said Toure, who was later subjected to a racist taunt on Twitter.
Manuel Pellegrini provided a rare moment of humour before Sunday’s 6-0 win over QPR by promising to give Toure a cake, and supporters sang happy birthday to him when he came on as a second-half substitute.
Ivory Coast and City team-mate Wilfried Bony has urged Toure to stay, citing him as a major factor in his decision to join the club from Swansea for £28m in January.
Asked if he has discussed Toure’s future with him, Bony said: ‘All the time. He knows what I think. He brought me here so he needs to stay. It’s been difficult for him, yes. You have to remember it’s been three years where there’s been big tournaments — the World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations.
‘We hope he stays. He’s a big player here and we know everything he is doing for the club. He knows what he can do, everybody knows.
‘Look at everything he has done over the years, what an important player he has been. He’s a legend for this club, for sure. He always will be.’
It was a bad night for City’s youngsters as they lost 4-0 to Manchester United in the Under 21 Premier League. Adnan Januzaj, who has not started for the first team since February, scored and provided an assist for James Wilson with a brilliant 40-yard pass. Goals from substitutes Ashley Fletcher and Matthew Willock completed the rout.
Here’s what our reporters would buy the Manchester City ace for his birthday...
Chris Wheeler
A good book. How about Football Agency for Dummies because Yaya could hardly do a worse job of handling his career than the bizarre Dimitri Seluk. If that’s out of stock, maybe a Mary Berry cook book so he can bake his own cake.
joe bernstein
A pair of rollerskates. It isn’t easy at 32 to keep up with all the young, hungry, energetic athletes in the Premier League, particularly when you are expected to be both a holding midfielder and a goalscorer.
Neil Ashton
A smile and a handshake cost nothing. And a thank-you for playing a part in two Premier League title-winning teams. And lastly, the freedom to find another club.
mike keegan
A copy of former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan’s excellent autobiography. Even if he doesn’t read it, a glance at the title says it all — Be Careful What You Wish For.
riath al-samarrai
Aside from a bowl of jelly and a ‘32 today’ badge, a DVD of his 2013-14 season. It ought to remind Yaya and his silly agent of when he was seen as a wonderful player, not a self-sabotaging diva. – Daily Mail