Ballon d’Or: Power Ranking the 23 Finalists
By Jacob Rude
May 25, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure (42) throws a souvenir to fans before the first half against Manchester City at Yankee Stadium. Manchester City won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
The Big Ivorian
3. Yaya Toure, Ivory Coast, Manchester City
Toure finished with one of the best all-around seasons we’ve ever seen out of a midfielder. To get an idea of the season he had with Manchester City, look at this photo, courtesy of Reddit.
In total, he finished with 24 goals across all competitions, a staggering amount for a player who often played a holding midfield role for the Blues. Seemingly every pass he made was a chance created. Every free kick he took swerved in. He rarely took a wrong touch.
His club, City, won the Premier League title after Liverpool let their late season lead slip away. in the domestic tournament, the FA Cup, City completed a dramatic comeback over Sunderland in the Final, a game which Toure had both a world class goal and an assist.
For many people, Toure certainly won’t be nearly this high on the list, but few players, if any, had as direct an impact in 2014 on his team’s success.