Kolo ToureÂ’s rise to fame is the footballing equivalent of a rags-to-riches story.
Born in the Ivorian city of Sokuora Bouake, the energetic utility player spent his youth with homeland club Asec Mimosas. It was there he came to the attention of Arséne Wenger’s scouts and for the bargain sum of £150,000 he made the switch to England and the high-profile glamour of the Premiership.
His Gunners debut came in the Charity Shield of the 2002/03 season and he quickly developed into a key and dependable feature of the first team. This season, with Arsenal’s back line rocked by injuries and digesting the departures of Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole, the burden of responsibility was unquestionably on the 26-year-old ‘elder statesman’.
It is testament to his performances under this pressure that Arsenal.com readers have voted him third in our official Player of the Season poll. But what do the statistics tell us about ToureÂ’s performances over the campaign?
At a glance the stat that leaps out is the 64 clearances Toure produced. As the experienced heartbeat of a fledgling Arsenal defence the Ivorian had to lead by example - and it seems more often than not he was in the right place to do so. ToureÂ’s nearest rivals in this department, William Gallas and Gael Clichy, ended the campaign 23 clearances behind.
Further evidence of ToureÂ’s dependability lies in the 18 blocks and 22 interceptions he racked up. He also won 34 of the 45 challenges he attempted and all this remember as the only constant in a defence blighted by absence and featuring two full backs in their maiden seasons as first-team regulars.
It is a wonder then how Toure succeeded in having such a positive input as an attacking entity. Versatility has always been one of the IvorianÂ’s most notable assets and he frequently put it to good use, pushing forward to make an extra man in midfield. That allowed flair individuals such as Cesc Fabregas and Tomas Rosicky to thrust forward more freely, but Toure also produced four goals and three assists of his own.
His first strike of the season was the second in a comprehensive 3-0 league win over Liverpool and efforts against Bolton and Blackburn followed. But perhaps his fourth and final goal was the most important; indeed the highlight of his campaign. A goal down in the North London derby, Toure swept home the vital first equaliser in a game which ended 2-2 and kept the Gunners on course for a top-four finish.
The fact he finished second only to Clichy in terms of forward runs is added proof of ToureÂ’s efficency on the attack. The Ivorian made 22 attempts to take on an opponent and failed to produce an end product on only eight occasions. He also managed to test a Premiership goalkeeper 11 times, his ambitious long-range shooting and powerful surges into the box proving he is as fearless going forward as he is when defending.
Toure made few mistakes when playing the ball out from the back. Mr Dependable attempted 293 passes - 66 more than any other Arsenal defender — finding a team-mate 64 per cent of the time.
He may have arrived at Arsenal as an unknown but Kolo Toure now sits deservedly among the elite defenders in world football. And heÂ’s still only 26. LetÂ’s hope the best chapters of his story are yet to be written.
Yeah. Toure is arsenal's heart of defence! But he wasnt that impressive as last season. But i hope nxt season he'll be better!!