BRINGING an end to a playing career that has spanned three decades and seen him perform at the highest level with both his club and his country, was always going to be hard for Kolo Toure.
However, the former Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Ivory Coast player’s decision was made considerably easier this summer by the prospect of what awaited him if he did decide to retire – a coaching role under Brendan Rodgers at Celtic.
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Toure, who returned to the Parkhead club earlier this month, admitted the chance to work with a man he rates as “one of the best young managers in the world” convinced him to make the transition.
“It was quite simple,” he said. “You get to the point you have to move on. I have also been working with one of the best young managers in the world, Brendan Rodgers, for the last few years and the relationship has been really good.
“This is the chance to learn with a guy such as Brendan, which is fantastic, and I’m working with one of the best clubs in Europe. Celtic are massive and for me to be able to work with a great clubs such as Celtic is huge, a privilege.
“To be able to work with Brendan’s staff - Chris Davies, John Kennedy and Stevie Woods - is great too. They are great guys and I’m learning an unbelievable amount from these guys every day.”
Describing Rodgers in such glowing terms is high praise from a man who worked under Arsene Wenger at Arsenal for seven seasons. So what sets the Northern Irishman apart from other coaches? Why does he rate the former Swansea City and Liverpool manager so highly?
“When you look at what he has done,” said Toure. “He was at Swansea and took them up. I remember playing there with Man City. We lost and we had world class players. That showed this manager is a great manager. He knows how to get the best from good players. This is his skill.”
The 36-year-old, who was in the dugout in the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium on Wednesday night as Celtic recorded an emphatic and important 3-0 win over Anderlecht in a Champions League group game, has no long-term plans.
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“I’m just thinking about right now,” he said. “I’m here to give advice to young players, give my expertise from a playing point of view and add to the great qualities already in the team. For me, that’s most important.”
Toure, who both played and coached at Celtic last season as the Glasgow club won only the fourth domestic treble in their history, would appear to have already had an influence on the first team.
The central defenders Dedryck Boyata, who credits the defender with helping him recover from injury and establish himself in the first team last season, and Jozo Simunovic were both immense in the midweek victory.
“It was a fantastic team performance in Belgium,” he said. “Dedryk and Jozo were great and Kieran Tierney and Mikael Lustig were excellent.
“Does it give me satisfaction to have helped Dedryck turn his Celtic career around? No, it was my job. It’s fantastic to help young players out. It’s what Martin Keown did for me. It’s what Sol Campbell did for me. I’m here to help them when they need me but I don’t want any credit for me. It’s just my job.”
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The win over Anderlecht has raised hopes that Celtic can qualify for the Champions League knockout rounds for the fourth time in the 2017/18 campaign. The sacking of Carlo Ancelotti by Bayern yesterday following their 3-0 defeat to Saint-Germain in France has simply increased expectations.
However, Toure, who reached the final of Europe’s premier club competition when he was with Arsenal in the 2005/06 season has urged caution.
“They are still Bayern Munich,” he said. “Those games are going to be really tough. It’s going to be a big challenge against them, but they remain Bayern Munich. We will see what happens.”
The dearth of black coaches and managers has long been a source of concern to many in the game, but Toure, whose brother Yaya plays for Manchester City, believes his race will be irrelevant if he does well in his new profession.
“The UK is like my second home,” he said. “The way people like me here is amazing, even fans from different teams all over the UK. I was watching the darts on TV at home and I hear the fans singing ‘Kolo! Kolo! Kolo! Kolo!” and ‘Yaya! Yaya! Yaya! Yaya!’.
“My brother and I have worked hard and done well. People recognise that and they love me. It shows that it doesn’t matter what colour you are, as long as you do the job it’s good. Just give 100 per cent and see what happens.”
DOWNLOAD: Listen to this week’s Herald Sport Podcast with Tam McManus HERE talking Celtic, Scotland and NFL.
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