The birthday cake incident has become so well known that you'd have to think the reality of the situation has been lost to history. Toure wanted to leave Man City because they didn't buy him a birthday cake. It's become such a running joke that it's lost all meaning, it couldn't possibly be true to the extent that was claimed. No footballer is that detached from reality.
We're not saying today's developments prove that story in any shape or form but they do provide an interesting insight into the Man City man's psyche. Having won the African Footballer of the Year award in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, Toure was hoping to make it five in a row at a ceremony in Abuja.
He was up against Swansea's Andre Ayew and Dortmund's goalscoring hero Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and as you may have guessed by now, it didn't go to plan for Toure. Gabon international Aubameyang claimed the award after scoring 29 Bundesliga goals in 2015 and it's fair to say that Toure was not overly pleased at giving up his crown.
He's reported to have been speaking to French radio station RFI after the ceremony when he launched into a rather forthright analysis of why Aubameyang's win reflects badly on Africa.
The fact that the Ivory Coast lifted the African Cup of Nations this year seems to have been a particular bone of contention in relation to Toure coming in behind Aubameyang in the voting. Gabon, for their part, went out in the first round.
I’m very, very disappointed. It’s sad to see Africa react this way, that they don’t think African achievements are important.
I think this is what brings shame to Africa, because to act in that way is indecent. But what can we do about it? Us Africans, we don’t show that Africa is important in our eyes. We favour more what’s abroad than our own continent. That is pathetic.
As I’ve been told many times, you can’t take care of Africa too much because Africa will be the first to let you down.
Toure did say that the Dortmund man is 'brilliant' but, while we're no experts in humility, we'd suggest that's probably not the best way to go about congratulating the winner.
