Former Manchester City and Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Touré has made history after becoming the first African head coach to guide a club into the UEFA Champions League league phase, the modern equivalent of the former group stage.
Touré achieved the feat on Wednesday night as his Slovan Bratislava side secured a dramatic 2-1 extra-time victory over Slovenian champions NK Celje in the second leg of their final qualifying-round tie.
Cristian Martínez scored the decisive goal in the 100th minute, giving Slovan a 3-2 aggregate victory and securing their place in the competition’s league phase.
The achievement is particularly notable as it comes during Touré’s first senior managerial appointment. The 43-year-old took charge of Slovan in June 2026 on a multi-year contract after previously working in various coaching and backroom roles, including with the Saudi Arabia national team setup.
Under his leadership, the Slovak champions have made an impressive start to the season, remaining unbeaten across a series of competitive fixtures.
Touré enjoyed an illustrious playing career, winning the Champions League with Barcelona, several Premier League titles with Manchester City and the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast in 2015.
He has now added another significant milestone to his career, this time from the dugout.
Nigerian coach Ndubuisi Egbo previously came close to achieving the feat in 2020 when he guided Albanian club FK Tirana through the early qualifying rounds of the Champions League. However, his side failed to progress to the group stage.
Touré has now gone one step further.
Videos shared online showed jubilant scenes inside the Slovan dressing room after the final whistle, with players and staff celebrating their historic qualification.
Slovan Bratislava will now await the Champions League league-phase draw as they prepare to compete on European football’s biggest stage.
Touré’s achievement also represents a significant moment for African football, highlighting the growing opportunities for former African stars to make their mark in elite European management.
His early success at Slovan will be closely followed as he begins what could become a remarkable managerial career.