By Enitan Abdultawab
Manchester City and Ivory Coast legend Yaya Touré has made history by becoming the first African coach to lead a club into the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.
Touré achieved the feat on Wednesday after his Slovakian side, Slovan Bratislava, defeated Celje 2-1 after extra time in the second leg of their final qualifying-round tie. The victory secured a 3-2 aggregate win and booked Slovan a place in the Champions League group stage.
Cristian Martínez sealed the result for Touré’s side when he scored in the 100th minute after Andraž Šporar had put Slovan ahead in the 18th minute. Celje levelled through Svit Šešlar from the penalty spot in the 34th minute but could not find another goal before Martínez struck in extra time.
The historic achievement puts Touré ahead of Nigerian coach Ndubuisi Egbo, who guided Albanian club FK Tirana through the Champions League qualifying rounds in 2020 but did not reach the group stage.
Touré, 43, took charge of Slovan Bratislava in July 2026 in his first senior managerial position. The club are also unbeaten in the Slovak League this season, winning all four of their opening matches as defending champions.
Before moving into management, Touré enjoyed an illustrious playing career with Barcelona, Manchester City and the Ivory Coast national team. He won the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona in the 2008/09 season, alongside two La Liga titles, while he also helped Manchester City to three Premier League titles.
At international level, Touré was part of the Ivory Coast team that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015.
After retiring in 2020, he worked as an assistant coach with clubs including Standard Liège and also served with the Saudi Arabia national team. He later coached Tottenham Hotspur’s U-16 academy.
Slovan Bratislava will discover their Champions League group-stage opponents following Thursday’s draw.
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