Source: Daily_Mail
Kolo Toure: I sold papers and cleaned shoes so that I had food to eat
To read the headlines and pore over the incriminating photos this week, it would be easy to think that only one player left Arsenal for Manchester City in the summer. [LNB]But as Emmanuel Adebayor went to war with his former club last weekend, landing himself with a three-match ban that means he misses Sunday's eagerly awaited Manchester derby, Kolo Toure was getting on with his job. [LNB] Hard worker: Kolo Toure (left), a man used to a tough life, training on Friday with Carlos Tevez[LNB]No personal vendettas for him. No raking his studs down the cheek of an old team-mate or racing the length of the pitch to spark a mini-riot. [LNB]Spend a few minutes in the company of City's new captain, however, and there is no doubt that his passion burns just as intensely as Adebayor's. [LNB]But Toure shows it in a different way. In the quiet determination he has to dislodge Manchester United as the No 1 team in the country, in the devotion to his Muslim faith, and the staunch belief that he has earned every penny he has made from football after an impoverished childhood growing up in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's largest city. [LNB]It is this last issue, that City's new signings are only there for the money, which comes closest to disturbing Toure's calm demeanour. [LNB]'I believe I deserve what I earn,' he says. 'I have been in this country seven years now and everyone knows that when I played for Arsenal I didn't just give 100 per cent, I gave 200 per cent. Now that is the case with Manchester City. [LNB]'We are not here for the money. It's about more than that. But when you work hard you deserve something. [LNB]'It doesn't matter what people say about what I earn. All I know is that I can look at myself in the mirror and say I did the right thing (moving from Arsenal) because I deserve it. [LNB] Holding back: Toure looks visibly embarrassed as Emmanuel Adebayor celebrates in front of the Arsenal supporters last weekend[LNB]'I have been working really hard to make a career in football since I was 14. I might not have made it or I could have got an injury that ended my career. I could be back in Africa now with nothing at all. [LNB]'I've done things that no other player has done. I have sold newspapers by the side of the road and cleaned the shoes of people for less than a pound. [LNB]'I was 12 at the time. I had to do it in order to eat because my family was really poor. But I've always been someone who has wanted to fight and to scrap for every penny I could to help my family and my mother. For me it is very important.'[LNB]Central defender Kolo and his brother Yaya, Barcelona's Champions League-winning midfielder, have another four brothers and two sisters back in Africa. They send home money on a regular basis. [LNB]'Of course we do. As an African, you need to take care of a lot of people,' says Toure. [LNB]'Our family, our whole village, is really proud of what me and my brother have achieved in football. People who have known me since before I became a footballer know I deserve what I have because I've worked so hard in my life.' [LNB]Toure, 28, was Arsenal's longest-serving player before City took him to Eastlands in July, his £16million transfer fee contributing to an overall summer outlay of £126m on new signings. [LNB]Fully committed: Toure insists he always gave '200 per cent' for Arsenal and deserves the financial rewards that have come his way[LNB]The investment has paid instant dividends with Mark Hughes's side delivering four wins from their opening four Premier League games, including last week's explosive victory over the Gunners. [LNB]On Sunday, they face an even sterner test against United and the short trip to Old Trafford will take Toure close to the mosque in Stretford where he now worships. The derby falls a day before the end of Ramadan, meaning he will not allow himself to eat or drink after sunrise. [LNB]'It doesn't affect me physically,' he says. 'It makes me stronger. You could do it when you believe so strongly in something. A normal human can be without water for much longer than one day. I will eat on the morning of the game. Don't worry, I will still have the usual power.'[LNB]The conversation about food turns to pizza, notably the slice that ended up on Sir Alex Ferguson's suit when Arsenal lost their 49-game unbeaten run at Old Trafford in October 2004. Toure's insistence that he saw nothing untoward would do his former boss Arsene Wenger proud. [LNB]But there is no question he has been in some battles with United, and he senses that Ferguson's irritation with City - even resorting to branding them a 'small club with a small mentality' - is a clear sign the Scot is worried about their progress. [LNB]'When you are the best at school and you see somebody coming in who is trying to put pressure on you, you're not really happy,' said Toure. 'The fact that Ferguson has made those comments about City shows that he is worried about what is happening here. [LNB]'It definitely motivates the club. Beating Arsenal was important for us, but beating United at Old Trafford would really make people sit up and take notice. And that is what we want to do - show that we mean business and we really can be up there at the end of the season. [LNB] HAVE YOUR SAY... What are your best Manchester derby memories? Manchester City visit rivals United in the most anticipated Manchester derby for quite some time. After a summer of lavish spending, City have emerged as a serious contender for the Champions League, while Premier League kings United march on. But what are your favourite moments from down the years? TELL US WHAT YOU THINK 'The thing with United is that they have a lot of experience. The manager has been there a long time and a lot of their players have played together for a long time. But to lose Cristiano Ronaldo is really difficult. He is a top-class player and so is Carlos Tevez. [LNB]'We all know about Wayne Rooney's capabilities but I'm there to stop him. He's in good form but I've faced him before and stopped him being effective and we will try to do the same again.' [LNB]City will have to do it without Adebayor, however, after he was banned for the incident in which Robin van Persie suffered a nasty facial cut last weekend. [LNB]Toure believes the Togo striker did not do it intentionally. 'It was a really important game for him and for me, because we were playing against our old club,' he said. 'From the start we could see that Ade was really excited to win. [LNB]'We know that he's an emotional guy - an intelligent guy as well - but sometimes the emotion takes over. [LNB]'You can see Robin came in with two feet for the first challenge and when that happened I think Ade was looking for a place to land. Obviously Robin was in the way and that's just what happened. [LNB]'At the end of the game, they shook hands. I was there, they talked to each other and Ade apologised to Van Persie.' [LNB]Even after such a short time at the club, Toure realises what it would mean to City fans to win a trophy for the first time in 34 years. 'It would be great because I came here for a mission and that would show I had completed it,' he said. [LNB]'We want to write our names into the records of the club. I did that at Arsenal and I want to do it at City, too. We can be legends here.' [LNB]Victory at Old Trafford tomorrow would certainly be a good start.[LNB] Des Kelly: Great joke City, but Fergie has the punchlineYou're not top dog now, Fergie: Mark Hughes in Manchester derby dig at old bossMark Hughes: I came close to quitting before City's Eastlands Sheik-upWho dares wins: Hughes set to slug it out with his old boss Ferguson in Manchester derbyJamie Redknapp: The key players in the battle of ManchesterManchester United v MANCHESTER CITY: Carlos Tevez a possibilty for derbyMANCHESTER CITY FC
