Quotes from Kolo Toure

Yaya was much better than Sergio Busquets at Barcelona. But he was behind him in the pecking order and he found that hard to accept. I advised him to come to Manchester City while I was still there.

In official competitions there are mistakes you don't make or you pay for it dearly.

I've always been someone who has wanted to fight and to scrap for every penny I could.

Everybody wants to play for Pep.

As players, we have the best job in the world and if the manager said, 'You haven't worked hard enough, you will only get half your wages this week,' it would make the players fight harder.

For me, I'm a fighter and I like to play for big clubs because that's where you improve yourself. Every day at training you have to give a hundred per cent to be picked by your manager.

We all struggle in life at a certain point.

When you play against a team such as Arsenal, Manchester United or Chelsea, you never know what will happen. But the key to the season is to win the games that you expect to win.

Anything can happen in life. You take your car, you drive your car every day in the same road and one day you just have no concentration - accident. That's part of life. It can happen to anybody.

I love Africa. I am very grateful for everything I have in Europe but everything I'm learning I want to help my continent to get better - in football as well.

Managers come to clubs bringing players with them and they want to pick them at all costs - whether they are any good or not.

When you do a good tackle, or block, the Kop they really appreciate that and they let you know it.

I remember the best defenders were Baresi and Cannavaro - you don't have to be really tall.

Baresi was not tall but he was a great player, while Cannavaro was the best defender in the world - hopefully I will be the same.

When I went to Arsenal I was working really hard on the weights, as Arsene Wenger is very keen on that.

I won the title with Arsenal in 2004 and it is harder to defend it the following season.

I think it's very important to have a good defensive team.

With team spirit, you can win anything.

Individuals are very important but team spirit is the key - it is the most important thing.

For me, Ramadan is not an easy time because it's a time when I need to work much harder, because I need to help my teammates. That's the way I see things.

I have never looked to put a spoke in anyone's wheel at all.

Any manager can go through a really difficult time.

I had problems with certain players at Arsenal, especially one, whose name I will not say because I don't want to feed the controversy.

I know my qualities, I've got nothing to prove here in England, they know me here.