Yaya Toure Rejoins Olympiacos

By Joshua Walters

Yaya Toure has rejoined Olympiakos, twelve years after leaving the Greek Super League giants.

The Ivorian international was given a rousing welcome to the port city of Piraeus by the Olympiacos faithfuls on his return to Athens, having traveled through Monaco in France, Barcelona in Spain and Manchester in England.

Toure was released by Pep Guardiola last year after eight seasons at Manchester City, and the versatile midfielder was rumored by his agent, Dimitry Seluk, to be landing a club in London before the switch to Greece.

The 35-year old is qualified to feature for Olympiacos in the Europa League, where the club, who pride’s itself as the most successful Greek multi-sport club in European and International competitions, is paired against Italy’s AC Milan, Spain’s Real Betis and Dudelanga of Luxembourg.

Toure joined the Greece giants from Ukrainian side Metalurh Donetsk in 2005.

He spent a year at Olympiacos, played 20 games and scored 3 goals before leaving for AS Monaca in the French Ligue 1 where he played 27 games and scored five goals.

The former Cote d'Ivoire national team captain joined Barcelona after a season for a fee of €10 million.

The midfield dynamo spent three years at the Catalan club, made 74 appearances, scored four goals and won the Champions League in 2009.

Toure joined Manchester City from the Spanish giants in 2010 and spent the following eight years playing in 230 games and scoring 59 goals.

He won three Premier League titles with the Citizens, and the Ivorian, who is in the twilight of his career, now enters a new challenge but at a familiar territory.