Know the meaning of the Yaya Toure curse, the reason behind it and the end date
In the sport of football, talent always takes precedence. Additionally, luck can play a role on occasion. Trophies are the result of talent plus luck.
However, football also has a lot of mystical elements and superstitions. One of the most well-known ones is the curse placed on Pep Guardiola and Manchester City by Yaya Toure’s former agent Dimitri Seluk. The Russian agent recently claimed that the curse has been lifted in public.
What is the Yaya Toure Champions League curse on Man City and Pep Guardiola, meaning, reason and end date
So what exactly is the Yaya Toure curse? Why was it inflicted upon Manchester City by Dimitri Seluk, and what effect did it seek to have? We address all of it here:
What is the Yaya Toure curse?
Yaya Toure was one of Manchester City’s most crucial players when Pep Guardiola joined the team. His best season was 2013–14 when he scored 20 Premier League goals and won the league championship. But under Guardiola, change was in the air. Yaya Toure lost favour while veterans like Joe Hart were mercilessly dumped. Although he did serve as Pep’s player for two seasons, the 2017–18 campaign marked the end of his tenure there.
My former agent is being quoted by the media about a ‘curse’.
Please don’t associate me with this nonsense and lazy stereotypes about African curses!? 🤔
Media… move on please. This man does not represent me in any way. Amplifying these stereotypes is harmful.
— Yaya Touré (@YayaToure) May 8, 2023
🎙️ Dimitri Seluk, Yaya Touré's agent has confirmed the curse has been lifted on Manchester City and they can now win the Champions League:
"I want to apologise for this matter. I think it's time for that bitterness to stop – and I know Yaya feels the same way because he wants… pic.twitter.com/3tfNfeGaH5
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) May 8, 2023
Toure and his support group were disappointed that he only received one league start that season. His eccentric, now-former agent Dimitri Seluk expressed his rage at the events, claiming that he had “turned all of Africa against himself” and that “African shamans in the future will not permit Guardiola to win the Champions League.”
The Yaya Toure curse officially began with this. Dimitri Selik claimed that due to Pep Guardiola’s handling of Yaya Toure, Manchester City would lose the UEFA Champions League because African shamans would curse him. Yaya Toure, on his part, has publicly stated his distancing from this story and Seluk-
Is there really a Yaya Toure curse?
Depending on your beliefs, this is a tricky question. While Pep Guardiola hasn’t won the Champions League, it’s unlikely that this is due to a “curse” placed on him by the representative of a player who had offended him.
On the other hand, there have been times when it is hard to believe how Cityzens were eliminated from the competition. Whether it was Raheem Sterling’s missed opportunity against Lyon or City giving up two goals to Los Blancos in stoppage time last season, Manchester City has frequently appeared, for lack of a better word, “cursed” in the competition.
What follows next as the curse is lifted?
This season, Manchester City appears to be the closest it has ever been to winning the Champions League. They have destroyed their competitors thanks to Erling Haaland, who has been breaking records regularly.
Even Dimitri Seluk has acknowledged his part in their total dominance and even backed City to win the UCL and possibly a treble. “I believe that Pep will lead City to the Champions League title. This year, they stand an excellent chance of winning. However, they will undoubtedly succeed in the next three years, regardless of what occurs.”
Is Dimitri Seluk cleverly retracting his remarks in light of Manchester City’s anticipated victory? Nobody is aware. But if City does win the Champions League this year, or even the following three (quite likely), Dimitri Seluk will look like a very savvy man in the end!