African footballers need to show more desire to
make it to the very top of the game. Toure, 30, is in the
running to win the African Footballer of the Year award
for a fifth time after the list of nominees was cut to
a 10-man shortlist earlier this week.
The Ivory Coast international is also the only African
on the shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for
the fourth year in a row.
"I admit that I see too many of them acting casually,"
He told France Football. "You'd say that they're not
always very hungry. Not hungry enough, for my taste.
They're not conscious enough of the effort required
to get to the very top.
Of course it can go quite quickly at the start. Too
quickly, without a doubt. But when it comes to
climbing the final steps to get to the very top
with [Lionel] Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, there's
no longer anyone left."
He told France Football. "You'd say that they're not
always very hungry. Not hungry enough, for my taste.
They're not conscious enough of the effort required
to get to the very top.
Of course it can go quite quickly at the start. Too
quickly, without a doubt. But when it comes to
climbing the final steps to get to the very top
with [Lionel] Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, there's
no longer anyone left."
Toure said part of the problem was that players
like himself, compatriot Didier Drogba, former
Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o, Ghanaian midfielder
Michael Essien and ex-Nigeria attacker Jay-Jay
Okocha had set the bar very high for those following
them. But the Ivorian captain, who won the African
Nations Cup with his country in January, believes
some of the current generation could be lacking
ambition.
"It's possible," He said. "They let themselves go too
quickly sometimes. They're in their world. They think
they've arrived - the most beautiful, the strongest - but
they don't understand that there are other steps to
climb to get to the top. Unfortunately a lot of them
only see the good side in this job: easy money, girls,
nights out, nice cars, nice clothes.
They abandon the idea of catching the best too quickly.
They don't always know how to suffer."
quickly sometimes. They're in their world. They think
they've arrived - the most beautiful, the strongest - but
they don't understand that there are other steps to
climb to get to the top. Unfortunately a lot of them
only see the good side in this job: easy money, girls,
nights out, nice cars, nice clothes.
They abandon the idea of catching the best too quickly.
They don't always know how to suffer."
The former Barcelona player also believes nothing
should stop players from targeting becoming the
very best.
"There are no extraterrestrials among the best players
on the planet," He said. "Just guys who want it a lot
more than the others. Everything starts from there - I'm
convinced of that."
on the planet," He said. "Just guys who want it a lot
more than the others. Everything starts from there - I'm
convinced of that."
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