TVC E. Yaya Toure has categorically dismissed any suggestion that he would end his career in China, insisting that to do so would be mercenary and leave him feeling “angry.”
Toure has rejected a £430,000-a-week offer from the Chinese Super League in favour of staying at Manchester City, where he has not given up hope of securing a new contract after his current one expires this summer, and he has said he could only play for the love of the game – not money.
“I always say that if I went to China I would end up feeling angry there,” the 33-year-old said. “Do you play football because you love football – or do you play because you want to make money? What’s the purpose? Me, I just want to play football because I enjoy it, I love playing. I enjoy helping my team-mates, I enjoy playing against the big players and teams.
“I want to carry on in that way. Some people have the mentality that they want to do that – to try something different. But for me, my feeling is that I want to play more football.”
Toure’s latest offer from China came 12 months after a £520,000-a-week package from Jiangsu Suning 12 months ago, which would have earned the Ivorian £22.5million-a-year from an unnamed club.
But Toure said that he wants to end his career in England and believes he has two more years’ football left in him at Premier League level. “Look at my friend [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic,” he said. “He’s 35 and he’s going to play for maybe….three more years? He’s got the same mentality as me. He’s a big player, a champion who loves football. It’s football first. Anything after that is a bonus. You can be lucky to go and play for big clubs and still earn a lot of money. But those who go to China….I don’t think like that.”
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