Yaya Touré Breaks New Ground as First African Coach to Reach UCL League Phase

Ivory Coast and Manchester City great Yaya Touré has written his name into UEFA Champions League history after becoming the first African manager to guide a club into the competition’s league phase.

The 43-year-old reached the landmark on Wednesday as Slovan Bratislava overcame Celje 2-1 after extra time in the second leg of their final qualifying-round clash. The victory earned Touré’s side a 3-2 aggregate triumph and a place in the Champions League league phase.

Slovan took the lead through Andraž Šporar in the 18th minute, but Celje restored parity when Svit Šešlar converted a penalty in the 34th minute.

With the tie heading into extra time, Cristian Martínez emerged as the match-winner, scoring in the 100th minute to send Slovan through.

Touré’s historic feat surpasses the achievement of Nigerian coach Ndubuisi Egbo, who took FK Tirana through the Champions League qualifying rounds in 2020 but was unable to lead the Albanian club into the group stage.

Touré became Slovan Bratislava’s manager in July 2026, marking his first senior coaching appointment. His team have also made an impressive start to their domestic title defence, winning each of their first four Slovak League matches.

The former midfielder enjoyed a remarkable playing career with Barcelona, Manchester City and the Ivory Coast. With Barcelona, he won the Champions League in the 2008/09 campaign and secured two La Liga titles.

He later became a key figure in Manchester City’s rise, winning three Premier League titles with the club. At international level, Touré helped Ivory Coast win the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015.

After retiring in 2020, he began building his coaching career, working as an assistant at clubs such as Standard Liège and with the Saudi Arabia national team. He subsequently took charge of Tottenham Hotspur’s U-16 academy.

Slovan Bratislava are now set to discover their league-phase opponents when the Champions League draw takes place on Thursday.

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