Manchester City and Ivory Coast legend Yaya Touré has made African football history after guiding Slovakian champions Slovan Bratislava into the UEFA Champions League league phase.
Touré achieved the feat on Wednesday after Slovan defeated Celje 2-1 after extra time in the second leg of their final qualifying-round tie to secure a 3-2 aggregate victory.
Cristian Martínez delivered the decisive moment in the 100th minute after Andraž Šporar had given Slovan the lead in the 18th minute. Celje equalised through Svit Šešlar’s 34th-minute penalty before Martínez struck in extra time.
The qualification makes Touré the first African coach to lead a club into the Champions League league phase, surpassing the achievement of Nigerian coach Ndubuisi Egbo.
Egbo guided Albanian side FK Tirana through the Champions League qualifying rounds in 2020 but failed to reach the competition’s league phase.
Touré, 43, took charge of Slovan Bratislava in July 2026, making the appointment his first senior managerial role. He has also made an impressive start domestically, with Slovan winning all four of their opening Slovak League matches.
The former midfielder enjoyed a decorated playing career with Barcelona, Manchester City and the Ivory Coast. He won the Champions League with Barcelona in the 2008/09 season and claimed two La Liga titles.
At Manchester City, Touré won three Premier League titles, while he also helped Ivory Coast win the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015.
After retiring from professional football in 2020, Touré gained coaching experience with Standard Liège, the Saudi Arabia national team and Tottenham Hotspur’s U-16 academy before taking his first senior managerial appointment at Slovan.
Slovan Bratislava will discover their Champions League league-phase opponents during Thursday’s draw.
