Yaya Touré has reached a landmark in African football history after becoming the first African coach to guide a club into the UEFA Champions League group stage.
The Manchester City and Ivory Coast legend achieved the feat on Wednesday as Slovan Bratislava defeated Celje 2-1 after extra time in the second leg of their final qualifying-round tie.
The victory gave the Slovak champions a 3-2 aggregate win and secured their place among Europe’s elite clubs.
Slovan appeared to have taken control when Andraž Šporar opened the scoring in the 18th minute, but Celje responded through Svit Šešlar, who converted a penalty in the 34th minute.
With the tie heading towards extra time, Cristian Martínez eventually delivered the decisive moment for Touré’s side, scoring in the 100th minute to send Slovan through.
The achievement places Touré ahead of Nigerian coach Ndubuisi Egbo, who came close to making history in 2020 after guiding Albanian side FK Tirana through several Champions League qualifying rounds. Tirana, however, failed to reach the group stage.
Touré took charge of Slovan in July 2026, making the club his first senior managerial appointment. His start has been impressive, with the defending Slovak champions winning each of their first four league matches of the season.
The 43-year-old is now taking his first steps as a head coach after an exceptional playing career that included spells at Barcelona and Manchester City.
With Barcelona, Touré won the Champions League in the 2008/09 season and claimed two La Liga titles. His most successful period came at Manchester City, where he won three Premier League titles and became one of the most influential midfielders in the club’s history.
He also enjoyed international success with Ivory Coast, helping the national team win the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015.
Touré began his coaching career after retiring as a player in 2020. He worked as an assistant at Standard Liège and with the Saudi Arabia national team before taking charge of Tottenham Hotspur’s Under-16 academy.
His latest achievement represents another milestone in his transition from celebrated midfielder to coach.
Slovan Bratislava will now wait for Thursday’s Champions League draw to discover the opponents standing between Touré and his next piece of European history.
