Slovan Bratislava head coach, Yaya Touré, has made history by becoming the first African coach to lead a team into the league phase of the UEFA Champions League.

Touré achieved the feat after Slovan Bratislava secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Slovenian side Celje in extra time on Wednesday night.

The result was enough to send Slovan through with a 3-2 aggregate victory in the Champions League play-off tie.

The Slovakian club will now be among the 36 teams competing in the league phase of Europe’s biggest club competition. The draw for the league phase is scheduled to take place on Thursday.

The achievement is a major milestone in Touré’s young coaching career. The former Manchester City and Ivory Coast midfielder was appointed Slovan Bratislava manager in July on a three-year contract.

The 43-year-old is taking charge of a club for the first time as a head coach after previously working in coaching roles.

Touré enjoyed a successful playing career, particularly during his time at Manchester City, where he won several major trophies and became one of the club’s most influential midfielders.

His latest achievement marks another important step in his transition from footballer to coach.

Before Touré’s feat, Nigeria’s Ndubuisi Egbo had already made history in 2020 when he became the first African coach to lead a club in the Champions League.
Egbo achieved the milestone with Albanian club KF Tirana. However, his team did not progress to the Champions League league phase.

Touré has now gone a step further by guiding Slovan Bratislava through the qualifying rounds and into the league phase.

The achievement could further raise Touré’s profile as a coach and increase expectations around his future managerial career.

For Slovan Bratislava, qualifying for the league phase also represents a significant achievement, giving the club the opportunity to compete against some of Europe’s biggest teams.

Touré will now prepare his team for the challenges ahead as Slovan look to make an impact in the Champions League.