Yaya Touré did not hold back when being asked about the best players he ever had the chance of working with, but he managed to aim quite a dig at Gerard Piqué when speaking about the best center backs he ever played with.
Touré appeared as a TV pundit in Monday's game between Manchester City and Wolves. There, the Ivory Coast midfielder was asked to name an ultimate team composed by players he had a chance to play with, but his choices to guard the net raised a few eyebrows, since he decided to give the nod to Mexican defender Rafa Márquez instead of Gerard Piqué.
Touré justified his decision by praising Márquez's skills after he paired him up with Vincent Kompany and Carles Puyol.
"Marquez was a tough defender. I don't think people remember him because he didn't play in England. But maybe if you want to remember him, go to YouTube and you check Rafael Marquez, Barcelona, No 4, what a defender. He was 10 times better than Gerard Pique. Believe me. He was so so good. If you watch him on YouTube, you'll see. I've been in love with him," Touré said about the Mexican ace.
Márquez played a major role in Barcelona's success during the 2005-06 and 2008-09 UEFA Champions League titles. He played seven seasons for Los Blaugranas, scoring 13 goals in 243 games.
The Ivory Coast midfielder apologized in advance for leaving some top-caliber names out of his ultimate team, but he was forced to do so after choosing six attacking footballers. Touré chose Ederson as the best goalie he ever worked with, and added Andrés Iniesta as the only midfielder in the lineup.
Touré then added Leroy Sané, Sergio Agüero, Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry as a sort of attacking midfield unit. The Ivorian chose compatriot Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto'o as his team's strikers.
