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Let's bring some unity - This man is a legend???

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white-sox

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Kolo Toure had that stomach-churning feeling that history was repeating itself.
Wilfried Bony rattled the crossbar. Junior Gadji blazed his penalty wide. Ghana converted both of their spot-kicks in the shootout, and defeat in the Africa Cup of Nations final on penalties loomed for Ivory Coast.
Again.
In 2006, Toure was 24 when he first experienced heartbreak in the final of the tournament. Ivory Coast faced Egypt at the Cairo International Stadium and while the defender converted from 12 yards, his side went on to lose 4-2.
He was 30 in 2012, when the Elephants returned to the finale in Gabon. A goalless draw ensued against Zambia, before penalties beckoned once more. After 14 strikes in the shootout, nothing could separate the sides.



Once again, Toure, never one to shy away from responsibility, stepped up to take a penalty in sudden death. But he missed. And after Gervinho did the same, Ivory Coast were floored once again - beaten on penalties in the Cup of Nations final for a second time.
Fast forward to early February of this year and Toure, who knew this tournament would be his last, stood on the floodlit turf at the Estadio de Bata in Equatorial Guinea and watched Ghana take a two-goal lead after two penalties in the final.
"It was so strange," Toure told Liverpoolfc.com. "It was so difficult.
"It was my third final and the first two I lost on penalties. To be there again and to fall behind 2-0, I thought, 'this is going to happen again'.
"Penalties are always difficult and I hate that. When you are a player, it's a difficult feeling. And when we started [against Ghana], we missed two penalties and we were behind them."
Then everything began to change.
"Our goalkeeper, Barry 'Copa', started to do something amazing," says Toure as a blend of joy and excitement spreads across his features at Melwood.
"I roomed with him in the hotel. He started to do things that he never did. He just started to be really loud and tried to intimidate the players who were starting to come and take the penalty for Ghana."
Barry saved one - from Afriyie Acquah - before Serge Aurier converted for Ivory Coast. Then Ghana's Frank Acheampong swiped his penalty over the crossbar, Seydou Doumbia hit the back of the net and Ivory Coast had pulled level.
"We saw that this cup was coming back to us," said Toure.
His brother, Yaya, put his penalty away, but Ghana responded to take the shootout to sudden death. Salomon Kalou scored, but so did Jonathan Mensah, and with the scores locked at 4-4, the responsibility fell to Toure to take a shot from 12 yards.
"That time was tough, because I missed my last one against Zambia," he explained. "But I took my penalty. I'd listened to my boss, Brendan Rodgers, who gave me some advice about penalties. And I scored it."
Elation and relief for Liverpool's No.4, but the shootout was far from over as Ghana and the Ivory Coast traded blows back and forth until Brimah Razak missed his penalty and the goalkeeper, Barry, spotted the ball, ready to write his name into the history books. He stepped up and scored.
"I had been chasing this cup for almost 14 years, maybe more than that," said Toure. "To win it in this situation, in my last game, was amazing. I'd been dreaming about it.
"I thank God that he gave me the strength to win this cup. You can win everything or have everything you want, but when you win a trophy like that for your country, it means a lot.
"To have Yaya there and to have him as the captain, I was so proud for him because he had a tough time as well. I'm very proud of my brother, because mentally he is very strong.
"What is happening to me right now, I just enjoy every single day and every single time. I'm 33 years old. I'm playing for the best club in the world. I thank God for everything I have now."
When we speak to Toure at Melwood prior to Liverpool's game against Manchester City, he struggles to remove the beaming smile from his face when he talks about the shootout win.
Playing a cameo role in helping Liverpool inflict a 2-1 victory over the reigning champions on Sunday will have only augmented his pride - and fired his passion to lift more silverware between now and May.
"I think this season will end very well," said Toure. "I still enjoy every day when I come into Liverpool with my teammates to see them and enjoy time with them and play games with them.
"It would mean a lot to finish with another trophy, for me it would be massive. That's what I'm trying to do. This club needs a trophy. This club is a great club. People who work here - I think this club deserves something. I hope that will be this season."
 
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Brilliant stuff. You could see last season how much he loves it at the club and how grateful he is (a) to Brendan for having signed him and (b) for the respect he gets at LFC as a senior pro, after spending a long time sidelined at Citeh. I'd lay odds that he's a great help for club morale generally, and he's still a plenty useful playing option if needed.
 
Brilliant stuff. You could see last season how much he loves it at the club and how grateful he is (a) to Brendan for having signed him and (b) for the respect he gets at LFC as a senior pro, after spending a long time sidelined at Citeh. I'd lay odds that he's a great help for club morale generally, and he's still a plenty useful playing option if needed.
I concur. Potential player/coach next season? If we don't snap him up someone will.
 
I felt really bad for him last season and thought he got a lot of unjust stick for his mistakes after xmas.

He was sensational for the first part of last season and one of the reasons we were top at xmas.

I hope he stays on past this year as his personality around the club can only be a positive thing.

I'd love to see him score the winner in the FA Cup final.

Massive massive fan.
 
He is a wonderful addition to the squad and has done well on the pitch when called upon. Great attitude and clearly loves it at the club. And his contributions to memes are unrivaled among our players.
 
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