The legendary Ivorian defender is convinced that taking a swipe at Arsene Wenger while he was on trial helped him prove himself.
Former Arsenal star Kolo Toure has revealed how a sliding tackle on Gunners manager Arsene Wenger changed his playing career for the better by allowing him to join Arsenal.
Kolo was an unknown when he left ASEC Minosas (then a partner club of the JMG Academy) for Arsenal in 2002, but the unnoticed transfer changed the course of his career. He went on to play for the Gunners, Manchester City, Liverpool and Celtic in a career that lasted 15 years.
Kolo said in an interview with FourFourTwo magazine: “I was very lucky to be able to attend this trial. I was there for a fortnight and, as you know, I made that tackle on Arsene Wenger ! You know, I think that slide tackle changed my career. I showed the manager how much I wanted to succeed and how much I wanted to become a professional footballer. That’s how he took it, anyway.”
When asked about the consequences of that unlikely moment, he says: “All the players were laughing and I was in shock! I thought they were going to get rid of me on the spot, but Arsène is a clever man; he just saw a young player wanting to impress him and gave me the opportunity to express myself and show what I could do.”
