Â鶹Éç

by Steve Vickers

Hands up if you believe the saying that 'money talks'.

That pretty much settles the argument then – Ivory Coast and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure deserves your vote for the 2010 Â鶹Éç African Footballer of the Year award.

So highly-rated was he by City manager Roberto Mancini that he became the English Premier League's highest-paid player ever, with a weekly wage of an eye-watering £221,000.

Admittedly, Barcelona didn't want him any more, but who else would say that Toure doesn't deserve his mammoth salary.

With his stellar work-rate, tough tackling and superb passing, City entered the top four in the English Premier League with the Ivorian anchoring the defence.

At this year's World Cup finals, Toure again demonstrated that he is a pillar of the Elephants team, with one goal and one assist.

Although the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations was, like the World Cup, a disappointment for Ivory Coast, Toure starred in the midfield in the 3-1 group stage win over eventual runners-up Ghana.

He also deserves credit for his fair play – Ivory Coast picked up five yellow cards at the World Cup, yet the combative Toure was not among the offenders.

There is a tendency for us to give the strikers the glory in voting for the Â鶹Éç African Footballer of the Year award, but Toure really deserves our attention.

After all, the money proves what a talent he is!