‘I Don't See a Man, I See a Snake’ - Yaya Toure Reignites Feud with Pep Guardiola

Manchester City legend Yaya Toure has launched a fresh attack on his former manager Pep Guardiola, reigniting their long-standing and bitter rivalry by calling the decorated coach a "snake."

The relationship between the two has been strained since their time at Barcelona, which ended when Guardiola sold the Ivorian midfielder to Manchester City in 2010.

The decision came after Guardiola promoted a young Sergio Busquets from the B team, viewing him as a better fit for the holding midfield position in his renowned 4-3-3 formation.

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During his final season at the Camp Nou, Toure was limited to just nine full 90-minute appearances before moving to the Etihad, where he became a central figure in a highly successful eight-year spell.

The pair were reunited in 2016 when Guardiola took the helm at City, but Toure once again found himself on the fringes of the first team. This led to public criticism of the manager by Toure's agent, Dimitri Seluk. Although Seluk later issued an apology, it did little to mend the relationship, and Toure departed the club in May 2018.

Now 42, Toure has made it clear that the animosity has not faded. In a recent appearance on the ZACK YouTube channel, he did not hold back in his assessment of Guardiola.

"I don't see a man, I see a snake," Toure stated. He also recounted a conversation with his wife, who strongly advised him against trusting the manager.

"The Barcelona coach calls me back then and says, 'You have to come back, it's important,'" Toure recalled. "My wife says to me, 'Are you going to listen to that nonsense? He treated you like dirt, and now he wants you to stay, and you're going to stay? Let's go to Manchester, my brother.'"

Toure added that his wife's opinion of Guardiola was equally harsh. "My wife would tell me about him. 'Sheytan [devil], he's not a man, he's wicked.' She sees him as a negative person."

Despite the turbulent relationship with Guardiola, Toure's career was laden with silverware. He won two La Liga titles and the Champions League with Barcelona, followed by three Premier League titles and multiple domestic cups with Manchester City.

On a personal level, he was crowned African Footballer of the Year four consecutive times from 2011 to 2014 and won the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast in 2015.