KOLO TOURE has described being an Arsenal “Invincible” as the high point of his career and hopes to now replicate that achievement with Celtic.
The defender, who has signed a one-year deal with the Parkhead club, was a pivotal part of Arsene Wenger’s side that went through the entire 2003/04 English Premier League season unbeaten on their way to being crowned champions.
Now 35 years old, the Ivory Coast international has expressed his enthusiasm at being reunited with Brendan Rodgers, the manager who signed him for Liverpool, and has set the lofty target of trying to get through his maiden campaign in Scottish football without losing a match.
READ MORE: Kolo Toure enthused by new challenge at "great club" Celtic
“My ambition for this season is just to win every game,” he said after being handed squad number 2. “I want to try to win the league, the cups, get into the Champions League and go as far as we can in it. Every game is very important.
“Could Celtic be The Invincibles too? Why not? Why not? That would be a great achievement for the team and for myself as well - to do it in two countries. I can say that [going through the season undefeated with Arsenal] was the pinnacle of my career. It was unbelievable. I got to the point where I was calling a friend of mine who played for another club and I asked him “How does it feel when you lose a game?” I had forgotten how it felt!
Kolo Toure: Celtic can become The Invincibles too
“We were winning every game, it was something special. You don’t get that all the time, obviously, so it was really special. For me, it was a privilege to be part of that team. I thank God every day for that.”
Toure also won two FA Cups with Arsenal, the league and FA Cup with Manchester City, and came close to also winning the title with Rodgers at Liverpool two years, but for Steven Gerrard’s infamous and costly slip against Chelsea late in the campaign. It was the chance to work again Rodgers that helped persuade him to move to Scotland.
“When I spoke to Brendan that was important but when you are linked with a team like Celtic you are just so happy because it is one of the best clubs in the world and you want to join the team straight away,” he added. “Brendan is here as well and that made things much easier. He is a top manager. He is somebody that I have worked with and had a great time at Liverpool.
“We nearly won the league and everybody in the UK knows he is a top, top manager and when somebody calls like that, you are just so pleased. I would love to work with him because he is a nice guy, he is very intelligent, very experienced and organised.”
Toure, capped 118 times for his country, believes that as well as playing he has a duty of responsibility to help bring on Celtic’s younger players. The defender cited Martin Keown as someone who filled a similar role when Toure first arrived at Arsenal from the Ivory Coast in 2002.
“I want to help the young players to help themselves as well, to give them advice, just try to play a role at this club. Any way I can help I will be ready for that because of my experience. It is not easy for young players sometimes. When they have the chance to speak to a guy who has had a long career it can help them to improve themselves and to try to avoid things that I done that I can tell them. They can avoid doing the same mistake. I had Martin Keown when I went to Arsenal. I was in the team and he wasn’t playing, but he gave me advice all the time. I have kept that mentality ever since.
“It wasn’t about the competition for places between us, it was about helping each other achieve success together. I learned that from those guys - Martin, Sol Campbell, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry I was part of that environment and that’s why we did so well. Together, we are strong and we helped each other to get better.”
Toure has not travelled with the team to Kazakhstan for tomorrow’s Champions League qualifier against Astana but could make his debut in the International Champions Cup fixture against Barcelona in Dublin on Saturday. There he could be in direct opposition to Luis Suarez, his former Liverpool team-mate.
“What a debut - playing against Luis! It’s going to be great for my fitness, because we will have to work hard against a top team. It will be nice to see Luis again, but I hope he doesn’t play! No, of course, I’ll be really happy to see him and to play against him. He is a top striker. He is very aggressive in front of goal. That will prepare me really well for the season.”
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