Former Barcelona and Manchester City star achieves landmark feat with Slovan Bratislava.
Yaya Touré is set to make UEFA Champions League history. The Ivorian legend will become the first African manager to lead a team in the competition's main phase after guiding Slovan Bratislava to the 2026/27 edition.
Touré took the helm of the Slovakian club in June and successfully navigated three challenging qualifying rounds to secure a spot in the newly formatted league phase. Slovan Bratislava overcame Georgia's Saburtalo, Sweden's Mjällby, and Slovenia's NK Celje to book their place among Europe's elite.
The decisive qualification came in a dramatic tie against Celje. After securing a 1-0 victory in the first leg, Slovan lost the return match 2-1 in regular time. However, a crucial goal in extra time sealed a 3-2 aggregate victory and sent them through.
A New Chapter in the Champions League for Touré
This achievement holds special significance for Touré, who returns to the competition in a new capacity. The former midfielder famously won the Champions League as a player with Barcelona during the 2008/09 season. Now, he will step back onto Europe's biggest stage as a head coach.
Before taking the top job at Slovan Bratislava, Touré built his coaching experience with assistant roles at various European clubs and also served on the coaching staff for the Saudi Arabia national team.
In a remarkable twist of fate, Slovan's debut in the league phase will be against reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain. This high-profile fixture will mark a historic moment for Touré in his very first head coaching role in the competition.
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